The Mating Dance
by Xavier2163
Summary: AU Edward Cullen and his adoptive family moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward’s life suddenly changes when he’s drawn into Bella Swan’s strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human? OOC Lemons ExB
1. Welcome to Forks

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: **M** for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course (don't worry, we'll get there).

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward starts the story. Bella and Alice may have a say later on.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

I had this plot bunny scampering around in the back of my head for a while. I finally had to take a break from Others Like me to get this started, let me know what you think. Chapter two is done, and will be up probably next week.

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

I'll post some photos in my profile tonight, when I have more time.

* * *

Chapter 1 Welcome to Forks

August 2005

Carlisle walked past me carrying a box back into the kitchen, as I came down the stairs. "C'mon, Edward," he said, "don't quit on me now. We're almost done, then we can take a break."

"Sure, Dad," I told him as I hurried through the living room, dodging out of the way as Alice directed the movers back to the music room. They were manhandling the piano through the living room now, and I stayed out of their way as I made my way back out to the truck.

I walked out to the Moving van, and collected another box to carry into the house. It was hard work and I was sweating, but the pile was dwindling and we were about done unloading our stuff out of the truck. The movers had most of the furniture unloaded, and Alice was directing them where to put it and having them arrange it in our new house.

I looked the place over again as I carried the box. It was warm out as the sun tried to burn through the perpetual overcast and light mist of the Forks, Washington August morning. The house was a large white classic Victorian with a round turret on the corner and columned porch. It was almost lost in the surrounding trees and I could hear the Quillayute River running a couple of hundred yards behind it. I climbed the five steps up onto the porch and walked through the open front door into the entry foyer. There was a sitting room to the left, but I turned right and walked through the living room and started up the broad staircase to the bedrooms on the second floor.

Carlisle had the master bedroom up at the front of the house with a round sitting room in the turret. He had mentioned possibly setting it up as an office to run his internet business from. Alice and I had chosen rooms at the back of the house with windows that looked out onto the forest. Alice had taken the room with the biggest closet. It still amazed me that such a small girl could have so many clothes. I hadn't minded though, my room was bigger and I had a better view of the river. We still hadn't decided yet what to do with the fourth bedroom.

Alice had suggested setting it up as a guest room, but who did we know that would ever come visit us? I thought it would make a good game room, but we'd have to sit down with Carlisle and talk about it. He was into all of that touchy feely crap and "Reaching consensus as a Family" stuff, and we talked every decision to death. Sometimes I just wanted him to be the Dad, lay down the law, and tell us how it was going to be, but I suppose I was lucky that he cared about my opinion.

Carlisle's aunt had lived in this house alone for years before she left it to him in her will. She had never done much to modernize the house or done any remodeling. The master bedroom suite had a private bath, but Alice and I would have to share the other bathroom down the hall from our bedrooms. At least the kitchen had modern appliances. Carlisle's aunt had been something of a cook, and had actually published a couple of cookbooks under a pen name. She had practically lived in the kitchen and it was the most modern part of the house.

Carlisle never talked much about his side of the family and we'd never met any of his relatives. I knew he'd left home and lived on his own since he was sixteen because of his relationship with his father. He had worked his way through college, and met my mom there when I was two years old. Carlisle married my mom, Elizabeth, when I was five, and he had legally adopted me as his son. I knew that my parents had tried to have more children together, but the doctors had told them it would never happen.

Carlisle and Elizabeth adopted Alice when I was ten. We were both the same age almost. I had turned sixteen in June, and Alice's birthday was in a couple of weeks. We'd both be starting our sophomore year at Forks high school soon, and I wasn't looking forward to being the new kid in school, but we needed to start over.

We'd had a good life in California. Things had been tough when Alice first came to live with us, but we'd all provided the loving environment that she needed to move on from her past and heal. Alice was a great sister, she was my best friend, and we talked about everything. We had no secrets from each other, but it was strictly a brother sister relationship.

Our home life was great. Carlisle had come from an oppressive dictatorial family, and had vowed that he'd never be like that with his kids. Mom had simply loved us all as she flew through life a mile a minute, juggling a career as a regional sales manager for an international pharmaceutical company, teaching me to play piano, driving Alice to her martial arts classes, and being Carlisle's wife.

All of that had changed last year. Mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had started chemo and radiation therapy, but the doctors told her it was already to far advanced and surgery wasn't an option. We had all watched as the cancer took its toll, and the accident was probably a blessing in disguise, but I still hated it. The doctors had given mom six months, and we could see the pain she was trying to hide from us. We'd made plans about how we would spend that time as a family, but it was taken away from us.

She was coming home from a doctor's appointment and was feeling weak. Carlisle had gone to get the car so she wouldn't have to walk all the way to the parking garage. She'd stepped off the curb to cross the street to meet him halfway, when another driver ran a red light and hit her. In her weakened state, she never made it back into the hospital, and she was gone.

Losing mom had hurt all of us, but Carlisle and Alice were able to come to terms with their grief, and move on with their lives. I lost it and found my own way to deal with the pain. My grades took a nose dive, and I quit caring about school. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd and got into trouble. I just wanted something to make the pain go away and I found it in the bottom of a bottle and the bowl of my pipe.

Carlisle got scared when I started getting into fights, and the police that brought me home told him they thought I was hanging out with a local gang. It was just a case of wrong place, wrong time, good fight. I wasn't a gang banger, and had no ambitions that way. It just felt good to let go and pound the living shit out of some asshole that tried to rip me off for some smoke.

That was the last straw. Carlisle's aunt had left him this house in her will, and we decided to leave California and start over in a new place. I was out voted two to one, but I didn't put up much of a fight and I knew they were right. I needed to move on. So now we were in Forks Washington, new town, new school, new people to meet, new friends to make, a new Edward Cullen, right? I doubted it, but I'd try to play the part if it made Alice and Carlisle happy.

Alice stuck her head into my room, and said, "C'mon Edward, the truck's almost done. Get your head out of the clouds, and go help dad get the last of the boxes."

"Sure Alice," I put down the box and went back downstairs to the truck.

We made quick work of the rest of the boxes and sent the movers on their way. All of the boxes had been labeled with which room they went in, and we'd sorted as we unloaded the truck. It wouldn't take long to get unpacked and settle in. Most of the furniture had been arranged by the movers under Alice's direction and the house almost looked like a home now. I decided I needed a break and went out to the garage and unloaded my motorcycle off of the travel trailer we'd used to tow it to Forks. Carlisle didn't like it, and chalked it up to my teenaged rebellion, but I'd bought it with my own money, and he couldn't say much about it.

My biological father had been an only child and came from old money. My mother had gotten a good chunk of money when my father was killed, but the majority of it was tied up in a trust fund that I wouldn't be able to touch until I turned eighteen. I had received a monthly check from the trust fund since my dad died when I was two. The majority of it went into my bank account, and Carlisle had taught me about investing since I was a little kid. I could probably live comfortably off of my personal investments now, even if I never got the trust fund, but it was nice knowing I'd be able to pick any college in the country and be able to pay for it.

I looked my baby over and made sure there wasn't any damage from the trip up from California, but everything looked good. The bike was a Gunmetal Blue 2001 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider with a vibration-isolated, black and chrome Twin Cam 88 Engine, low-profile suspension, low-slung custom seat with tapered passenger pillion, raked-out front fork, and easy-reach, low-rise handlebar. It had a tank-mounted speedometer and tachometer and custom highway pegs for cruising.

I'd bought the bike before I could even legally ride it, and I'd had my California motorcycle permit since the day I turned fifteen and a half and could apply for it. I'd paid for Alice and me both to take driver education and training classes and she'd even sat through the motorcycle training classes with me. Alice just wanted to get her drivers license when she turned sixteen, but I wanted my freedom. California had made it progressively harder to get a drivers license, but you could still get a motorcycle permit at fifteen and a half, and I was prepared on the day I got there, like I was waiting for my birthday. With a motorcycle permit, you couldn't drive at night, on the freeway, or have any passengers with you, but were otherwise free to drive anywhere else.

I heard Alice calling me from the house, and I went in to see what she wanted. I walked in the side door to the kitchen from the detached garage building, and saw that she'd made sandwiches. It looked like we were taking a break to eat lunch. Carlisle was sitting at the table, and I went to the refrigerator and got a bottle of water before I sat down. At least he waited until I was sitting down before he started in on me.

"Edward, I don't think it's a good idea to be riding that motorcycle around here, now that we're in Forks," Carlisle told me.

"You didn't think it was a good idea when we were living in Hayward, either. Why is Forks anymore dangerous? There's less traffic here," I retorted.

"The climates wetter, there's more rain and mist, and the roads are slicker here. I don't want you to get hurt, Edward."

"I know how to ride on wet roads and in the rain. I took all the training classes you wanted and the helmet laws are the same here as in California."

"I just don't like it, Edward…" Carlisle interrupted.

"You don't have to like it. I've been riding for nine months now and have my full license. I've never had an accident or gotten a ticket, and I pay for my own insurance. I'll do what I want."

I could imagine Carlisle having a similar conversation with his father, and he didn't like the role reversal. He didn't want to drive me away, but we both felt we were right. He was so transparent to me, like I could read his mind. He tried a different tactic now. I'd been waiting for this, and was surprised it had taken him so long to pull out what he thought was his ace in the hole.

"I was hoping that maybe we could compromise," and he slid a set of keys across the table in front of me. "You're sixteen now, and you'll need a car to get around here and drive to school. I think you should have your mother's car now."

None of us had been willing to give up mom's car. It was a silver Volvo S60R, and I had helped mom pick it out. It was kind of sporty and had a decent amount of power, but it was still the kind of car a mom would drive. Alice and I had driven it up from California, towing the trailer with my bike on it. Dad knew it was special to me, but I knew it meant just as much to Dad and Alice too. They wouldn't get rid of it.

I looked down at the keys, but I didn't pick them up. I looked up and looked Carlisle in the eye. "I'll drive Alice to school, and take her to her classes. It snows here, and I might need it in the winter. You can call the car mine if you like, but I'm not giving up my bike."

"Edward, I don't like this, son. I don't want you to get hurt…"

"I not going to get hurt, I know what I'm doing!" I was mad now, and I knocked over the chair as I got up.

"Edward, I'm your father, and you won't raise your voice to me! Don't make me order you not to!.."

"You can't order me not to!" I cut him off and turned for the door.

"Sit down and let's discuss this."

But I was already out of the room and halfway to the garage. I grabbed my leather jacket off of the end of the trailer and shrugged into it. I pulled on an open half-helmet that was legal under the strict interpretation of the vehicle code and got on the Harley and kicked it to life.

Carlisle was coming into the garage, but I twisted the accelerator, popped the clutch and peeled out of the garage in a squeal of burning rubber and smoke. The tire dug in as I hit the driveway, and I sent a shower of gravel spitting back at him as I roared down the drive and onto the street. I could hear him yelling for me to come back, but I ignored it. It would only get worse if I went back now. I needed to cool off first.

Once I was on the hard pavement, I reach into my pocket and pulled my sunglasses out. I shook them open and pushed the mirror shades up onto the bridge of my nose to keep the wind out my eyes as I rode. They were mirrored so they looked cool and people couldn't see my eyes when I had them on, but they were auto darkening so they'd react to how bright it was out, and I could still wear them at night.

I cruised south down Merchant Road. The scenery was nice, but kind of boring, lots of trees, denser patches of forest, and widely spaced older homes on huge lots. There were no fences, but the houses were so far apart with trees and forest in between, fences like you'd see in a housing tract in California would be kind of redundant. I passed the Elks lodge, and finally came to the intersection with Calawah Way.

There was an old cemetery on my left, and I wondered if Carlisle's aunt was buried there. Maybe someday I might care enough to go look. I knew if I turned left, there'd be more of the residential tracts, some widely spaced, like I'd been through, some newer and more densely packed, and a couple of trailer parks, but eventually the road dead ended into the forest. No businesses to speak of, unless you were looking for a guide service or a hairdresser. I turned right, because I knew that I would end up in the middle of town, and there were things to see as I headed southwest. Forks really was a small town, and it was less than a mile into the downtown business district.

I turned left on Spartan Avenue, a block before I would have reached Forks Avenue, the main drag, and Highway 101 as it passed through town. The School was down this way, a couple of blocks, and I wanted to check it out.

After a couple of blocks, I saw a school, but I realized at once that it was the forks middle school. I kept going and pulled into the parking lot of the high school, further down the block. I checked again, and I was in the right place, at least the sign said it was Forks High School. It was tiny compared to what I was used to. In the town where I'd grown up, there were four high schools and they each had over 3000 students. There were just over 3000 people living in the whole town here and there were only about 312 students enrolled in the high school.

This was going to be a new experience. There were no fences, no metal detectors, and they probably didn't even have any campus police. The student hand book I'd looked at online even said they had an open campus for lunch. Of course, where would you go around here to get anything to eat?

The main building looked like it had been built back in the 1920's, and was a two story brick building. Additional wings had been added on to the back of the building over the years, and there was a separate administration building with offices, the library and cafeteria. It looked like there was a fairly modern looking gymnasium, and I could see a track and football field out beyond it. I pulled back out onto Spartan Avenue, and continued south and turned onto East E Street to circle around the school. I checked out the track and football field, and then I had to cut through another residential tract to come out back onto Spartan Avenue by the middle school.

I kept going straight for another block, and came to Forks Avenue or Highway 101 as it passed through town. I turned left and headed south again. We'd come into town this way, but it had been late last night, and I hadn't really had a chance to look around. I was surprised to see so many motels and Inns, and there were a surprising number of restaurants, but I suppose it made a kind of sense. Forks was the only town with commercial enterprises, between Aberdeen to the south and Port Angeles to the northeast.

Aberdeen was a good two and a half hour drive south, on the north shore of Gray's Harbor, and Port Angeles was an hour and a half drive north and east, lying on the northern edge of the Olympic peninsula. A lot of the local economy depended on the tourist industry, with people coming to explore the wilderness areas, the rain forest, fishing for steelhead, rainbow trout, and salmon, and the natural beauty of the rugged northwest Pacific coast. La Push was supposed to have pretty good surfing, and it sounded like something I might need to try out.

I found the local Thriftway grocery store, so at least we wouldn't have to drive three hours to grocery shop, but that was a moot point. The martial arts academy that Alice wanted to continue her training at was in Port Angeles, so I'd probably be driving her there at least twice a week anyhow. I didn't really mind, the training had done Alice good and had helped her heal from the emotional trauma she'd been through as a kid. Alice might be small, and look like a pushover, but I pitied anyone that gave her any grief at school. She'd been studying martial arts since she came to live with us when she was ten and she had a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. She'd started messing around with swords this last year, and was excited because the academy in Port Angeles specialized in the techniques that she wanted to learn.

I kept going south until I passed the Forks airport. Nothing to see down there, unless you counted the timber museum and another trailer park. I turned north onto Russell Road and made my way up to Bogachiel Way and turned back northeast. I passed the community hospital on my way through town, always a good piece of information to have, and kept going until I came back out onto Forks Avenue again. I turned left and headed north this time.

There were a few more restaurants. I saw a Mexican place, and a Chinese restaurant. There were some gift shops, a couple of art galleries and craft places. I was surprised to see an old fashioned drive-in burger joint and malt shop, like something out of a fifties TV show, and could just imagine the kids hanging out there after school. I was about to the northern edge of town when I saw the first sign of modern commercial America. There was a Subway franchise in the gas station before you crossed the river out of town. It was nice to know that there were some options available, if I didn't want to eat cafeteria food for lunch, but I'd wait and see how they stacked up against the completion first.

I crossed the bridge out of town, and kept heading northwest up Highway 101 for about a mile and a half until I came to La Push Road. The sign said it was Highway 110. The map I'd looked at showed that there was another bigger airport out this way, and if I felt like it, I could go all the way to La Push and check out the beach. I turned left onto the highway, and followed the road as it wound through the forest. After about 3 miles, there was a sign for the airport, and I turned onto Quillayute Road. I followed the road for about five miles, and I saw the end of the runway as the trees gave way to a large cleared area, a couple of miles wide.

Quillayute State airport still wasn't much to look at, but it ran commercial flights to Port Angeles and Seattle, plus whatever local and private traffic there was. Up here in the northwest, there were places you could only reach by air, and a lot of bush pilots operated out of this airport to take wilderness enthusiasts, campers, and fishermen deep into the back country. There was a row of warehouses, and a couple of aircraft hangers. There were a couple of planes out on the tarmac, but it looked pretty slow right now, in the late afternoon right before twilight.

I was taking a slow cruise around the warehouses, just letting the bike idle along fast enough to cruise without having to put my feet down for support, when I caught the scent of a pungent odor that I knew so well. The corners of my lips rose in a smirk, and I followed my nose to the source. This section of the airport was pretty remote from the main terminal area, if you could call it that. The warehouses looked almost abandoned and little used, but somebody was hanging out here. I turned the corner of the warehouse at the end of the row, and there was a guy sitting on some crates with the pipe still in his hand. He freaked out when I came around the corner, and tried to hide the pipe, but I laughed, and held up my hand to stop him.

"Chill out, dude, I'm not here to give you any grief," I told him

I killed the engine, kicked down the stand, and leaned the bike against it as I stepped off and took off my shades as I walked over to the guy. I saw that he was really just a kid, about my age, but he was taller than me. He had to be well over six feet, but was still kind of thin and lanky like he'd gone through a growth spurt, and his body was still trying to fill out. He looked like he was a Native American, with russet colored skin, brown eyes, and long straight black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing dirty faded blue jeans, a grease stained white tank top, and hiking boots.

"I smelled you smoking from around the corner. I just moved here, and I'm dry. I was looking to see if you could hook me up with some weed, man."

The guy eyed me for a second, probably trying to decide if I was legit, or a narc trying to bust him. If I was a cop, I had him cold, so he decided to play it off. He handed me the pipe, and said, "Yeah, I can hook you up, try this shit out, it'll blow you away." I took the pipe, pulled my lighter out of my pocket and fired up. It was some good shit, easily as good as the Cali Kush bud I used to buy before we moved. I wanted more.

I held the smoke in for a minute, and blew it out my nose, so he could see that I'd inhaled it, and I saw him relax. I handed him back his pipe, and held out my hand, "I'm Edward Cullen, I just moved to Forks. That's some good bud, dude. I want some more, if you know where I can get some."

He took the pipe and reached out and shook my hand. "Hey Edward, I'm Jacob Black. I can hook you up. C'mon inside and meet my crew, and we can talk. Cool bike, go ahead and move it around front, and I'll get Sam."

I took off my helmet, and set it on the gas tank where it wouldn't slide off. I pushed the bike upright, the stand sprung back, and I wheeled it around to the front of the shop behind Jacob. I kicked the stand back down and leaned it over on the stand in front of the rollup door to the warehouse, and followed Jacob in. There were two more Native American boys working on some cars in the warehouse, and I saw Jacob walk into an office in the back of the building.

I could tell that they weren't trying to fix these cars, from the state of disrepair they were in. It looked more like they were taking them apart and stripping parts off of them. I noticed some pallets with airbags, tail light assemblies, some engine parts, and I knew exactly what they were up to. This was a chop shop, and these were probably stolen cars that they were stripping to sell the parts.

Jacob came walking out of the office, and another Native American man followed him out. This guy was fucking huge! He towered over Jacob, and must have been about 6'10". He had long, rounded muscles, copper skin, close cropped black hair, and brown eyes. He had an older face, and looked like he was at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He reached out his hand to me and spoke with a deep voice, "Jacob tells me that you'd like to do some business with us Edward, I'm Sam Uley."

I took his hand, and his grip was firm. I returned the handshake, and said, "Hi, Sam, yeah, business is good. Jacob gave me a taste of some righteous bud, and I'd like to get some more if you can hook me up."

Sam sized me up for a minute, and then motioned for me to follow him. "Ok, Edward, come with me. Usually I don't do business with anyone without references, but Jacob said you smoked with him, so I'll take a chance this time."

I followed him back to his office. He sat down behind a shabby looking metal desk with a scattering of papers, and a surprisingly new looking computer. He pointed at a chair in front of the desk and I sat down.

"You thirsty?" He asked, and I nodded. He turned to Jacob, and said, "Jake, get us some brews, man," then he turned back to me.

"So, Edward, why do you think you can trust us? How do you know I'm not just going to rip you off?"

He could, but I knew he wouldn't. Everything I'd seen so far spoke of a man that wanted a profit from his work. He might be a criminal, but he was a business man first.

I shrugged. "You're a business man, Sam. Sure, you could rip me off, but then you just profit once. If you sell to me, then you make a profit every time I come back. If I like what I buy, and share it with my friends, then they start to buy from you too, and you make more money than you could stealing from me."

Sam smiled. "I like you Edward. You're smart and you think things through. Most people wouldn't figure that out. Now, let me show you what I have for you."

Jacob came back in and handed us bottles of beer. I twisted off the cap and took a drink, while Sam opened a drawer in his desk reached into it. "So, Edward, how much smoke were you looking to take home with you today?" Sam asked.

Street prices varied widely, based on a lot of factors. I'd never made a buy around here, so I didn't know what the local prices were like yet. The price of a quarter ounce could go anywhere from $10 to $120, depending on quality, who you bought it from, where you bought it. Some markets dealt in grams for high quality shit in good markets. I figured the population density was pretty low here, and there was a lot of territory for growers to find a secluded patch of woods in high summer months. Even if they were trafficking the pot in from out of state, the market demand would drive the price down.

"I'll take an ounce, if you have that much on you, Sam," I told him. I knew that for high quality pot, even in some high priced markets that shouldn't be more than $500, and I had that much cash on me. Realistically, it shouldn't be more than $300, and I wouldn't be surprised if they only hit me for $200, but even that would still be high in my opinion.

Sam laid four Ziploc baggies on the desk. "We sell quarters for $40, but if you're interested in larger amounts, I can get you a volume discount."

"I'll keep that in mind," and I reached for my wallet and counted out $160 laid it on the desk and picked up the baggies and stuffed them in my pocket. Sam made the stack of $20 bills disappear.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Edward, you know where to find me when you want some more, Jake, why don't you show Edward out."

I stood up and nodded to Sam, but his attention was back on the computer monitor, and we were done. I followed Jacob back out into the shop, and drank my beer. The two guys that were stripping the cars pretended to ignore us, but I saw their eyes glance up and follow us while they pretended to work. We got back to the rollup door, and I tossed the empty beer bottle in a trash can.

"So, Jacob, do you go to Forks high?" I asked

"No, I go to the reservation school in La Push," Jacob said.

"That's too bad. It would have been nice to know at least one person there, besides my sister."

"Yeah, well I don't get down to the school too much these days, anyhow. They don't have much to teach me that I can't learn here, and I make a better living with Sam's crew."

"Well, what do you guys do for excitement around here, do you surf? I here that's supposed to be pretty good around here, I've never tried it, but it sounds like a rush."

"Yeah, I surf, and we cliff dive too, but none the pussies from Forks have the balls to keep up with us," Jacob said with a challenging grin on his face.

"I'm not from Forks, I just live there now. How do I get a hold of you," I asked as I smiled back at him.

Jacob grabbed a pad of paper and pencil by the door. He wrote down a phone number and tore the sheet off and gave it to me. "Call me if you need me to hook you up, we have the best buds around, and the best prices too. If you're interested in anything harder, we can make that happen too. Let me know and I can cut you deal on some blow, and I hear those high school chicks really put out if you hook them up with some exstasy." I glanced at the number and stuffed the note in my pocket.

"I'm not into the harder stuff, some righteous bud, some brew, maybe a couple of shots, and I'm good to go. I'll keep you in mind though, if the opportunity comes up."

"That's cool, man. That's about how I roll too. Let me know when you're ready to hit the beach. There's still some good weather before school starts, but we surf almost year round. There are some killer waves when the storms start to roll in."

"So, that Newton Outfitters in Forks looked like a camping and sporting goods store. Do they have all the gear I'll need?"

"Yeah, Newton's has everything you need. Just tell them you're hitting first beach at La Push, and they'll get you set up."

"Ok, I'll check it out. I'll be in touch." I held up my fist with my knuckles toward Jacob, and he reached up his fist and bumped my knuckles.

I nodded and walked back to my bike. I stepped over the seat, and pulled my helmet back on. I got my mirror shades out and put them back on and kicked the Harley to life. I nodded to Jacob and cruised down the rest of the row of warehouses. The rest of the buildings were closed up, and most of them looked empty and abandoned. I wasted some time checking out the rest of the airport, but there wasn't much to see.

I was getting late and I decided to head back to Forks. I was north of the Quillayute River now anyhow, and I would have had to back track anyways if I wanted to go to La Push. I figured I'd wait until I checked out Newton's and bought the surfing gear before I went down to La Push to see the beach.

The ride back to the house was kind of mellow. I wasn't stoned, I'd only had one hit off the pipe, and one beer, and I wasn't that much of a light weight, by any means, but I calmed down and was ready to deal with my family now. I reached into my pocket and took out my cell phone, and turned it back on. I looked at the screen, and there were about eight voicemails, probably from Alice. I sighed and stuck it back in my pocket as I came into town.

Forks didn't have much of a night life, but there were some people out and about as I cruised through town. I was right about the drive-in. There were a bunch of cars and pickups in the parking lot and I could hear the loud music from the street as I rode past. There were mostly teenagers hanging out in the parking lot, and I could see more inside, and I had an idea.

I pulled off the street into the parking lot of a liquor store on the corner of Forks Avenue and Calawah Way, and took my cell phone back out. I speed dialed Alice's number, and she picked up on the first ring.

"_Edward, where the hell are you? I've been trying to call you all afternoon, and all I could get was your voicemail!"_

"Sorry, Alice, I needed to cool down, and I decided to do a little exploring. My phone was turned off. Is dad still pissed off?

"_He was mad at first, but he calmed down, you know how he is. That real estate agent that he's been talking to called, and then he left to go look at some shops that are for rent here in town, where he might be able to set up a clinic. You guys all took off and left me here to unpack!"_

"Are you hungry? I think I found the local hang out. Are you up for a burger and malt at an old fashioned drive-in?"

"_That sounds cool, how far away are you?"_

"I'll be home in about five minutes. Grab your helmet and we can go meet some of the local kids."

"_Edward, Carlisle will be pissed off again if we go on your motorcycle!"_

"He's just going to have to get over it then. I have my license now, and can carry passengers. It's still summer, and we might as well enjoy it while we can. I'll meet you in five, and we can see how cool these Forks kids are." I ended the call and stuck the phone back in my pocket.

I pulled back out into the street, and cruised up Calawah way and turned left on Merchant Road to ride back to the house. Alice was waiting for me at the end of the driveway when I pulled onto Riviera Drive.

I had to admit, Alice would be pretty hot for such a petite girl, if she wasn't my sister. She was about 4'10" tall, but the spike heel ankle booties gave her about 3 more inches. She was wearing a pair of low cut tight designer jeans and a purple leather scuba jacket that was zipped up the front. I'm not sure how she managed in five minutes, but her hair and makeup were perfect. The jet black hair was easy, she wore it short, so it didn't get in the way when she did her martial arts, and it was part of her philosophy to never be a victim again. An attacker could grab long hair, so she took away the option, but it still looked cute on her. The makeup was a mystery to me, but she was really good at anticipating what I was going to do, so she'd probably already been ready to go, waiting for my call.

She had the strap of her purse over her shoulder, and was wearing a pair of very lightly shaded mirrored sunglasses over her blue eyes. She was holding the half helmet that I'd bought her when I pulled up in front of the drive. She pulled it on and bounced over to the bike as I stopped and put my feet down to steady the bike. Alice hopped on the back of the Harley, kicked down the foot pegs, and settled the instep of her boots on them as she wrapped her arms around me to hold on. I felt her inhale as she sniffed my hair.

"Edward, are you stoned?" Alice asked.

"No, I'm not stoned, I only had one hit, but you've got to check out this righteous bud I scored off of this kid from the reservation this afternoon, Alice. It's at least as good as that Cali Kush bud you used to buy off of those beaners in San Leandro."

"I'll be the judge of that, but let's get out of here, before dad comes back. He'll just get pissed off again if he sees you giving me a ride."

"Ok" and I pulled back out into the street.

We cruised back into town, and I pointed out some of the local attractions I'd discovered this afternoon. There wasn't much to point out, but it was a short trip, and soon we were pulling into the parking lot at Sully's Drive-in. Some of the kids had left, but there was still a pretty good crowd. I saw a parking spot by the edge of the outside seating area next to a blue van. It looked like a nice secluded spot away from the direct view of the inside of the drive-in, and the van was parked to block the view from the street The side doors were open so the kids could listen to the music from the stereo and there was a group of kids hanging out, sitting in the van and at the picnic tables in front of it.

I pulled into the spot next to the van, killed the engine and kicked down the stand as I leaned the bike onto it. Alice hopped off the back and took off her helmet and pushed her sunglasses up onto the top of her head. She unzipped her jacket, and it looked like she was wearing a sequined purple silk spaghetti strap tank top under the jacket. I took off my mirror shades and slid them into my shirt pocket. I pulled off my helmet and ran my hand through my hair, and then took a look around as I stepped off the bike.

The local kids were checking us out as we got off of the Harley. They were a mixed bunch of boys and girls about the same age as Alice and I from the look of them.

One of the boys nodded to me, "Cool ride, California, you guys passing through?" He was tan, and looked like he'd be about 6'1", with brown hair and brown eyes. He was sitting next to a girl with cornsilk blonde hair, and green fishy eyes with pale eyebrows.

"No such luck, we just moved into the old Cullen place by the river, up on Riviera Drive. My dad got the house in the will when his aunt passed away."

"Huh, I heard about old lady Cullen passing. I didn't know she had any family. Welcome to Forks," and he stood up and held out his hand. "I'm Tyler Crowley, and this is Lauren Mallory," he said indicating the blond girl next to him.

"Hey, Tyler, I'm Edward Cullen, and this is my sister, Alice." I noticed that got a response from some of the guys when they registered the word 'sister'.

One of the other boys stepped forward and held out his hand to me, "Hey, Edward, I'm Mike Newton." He was a couple of inches shorter than Tyler and had a baby face, but he had that look that girls found to be altogether good looking, with pale blue eyes and blond hair.

I shook his hand, and then he introduced the rest of the kids in their group. The girl next to him was Jessica Stanley. She was 5'1" with long curly dark brown hair and blue eyes. There was a really tall girl who was introduced as Angela Weber. She had to be 6'0 tall but she seemed kind of quiet and shy, with gentle brown eyes and light brown hair with streaks of honey blond in it. There were another couple of guys, Eric Yorkie came off as the classic overly-helpful, geeky, chess club type. He was 6'3" with hair "as black as an oil slick," brown eyes, and a poor complexion. Ben Cheney was 5'7" and looked like he was of Asian descent with black hair, and dark brown eyes.

Katy Decker was sitting at the picnic table watching us. She had blue eyes and blond hair pulled up in a high pony tail. Her face was a perfect narrow oval-shape, with large, wide-spaced eyes, high cheekbones, and a narrow nose with a slightly rounded jaw with a strong chin. Her lips were perfectly proportioned for her jaw line. Her eyebrows were darker than her hair and they were slightly arched. She looked like she'd stand about five foot six inches tall. She was slender but slightly muscular with an athletic build, and looked like she'd weigh about 120 pounds. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a Navy Blue hooded sweatshirt with Spartan XC in gold letters across the front. There were a couple of other girls and another guy with her, but I forgot their names as I stared at Katy.

I turned to Mike, and said, "Newton, right? Does your family run the sporting goods store I saw downtown?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm working there this summer, but I'll have to go back to part time when school starts," Mike told us.

"Sweet, maybe you can help me out. A guy I was talking to said that you can get me setup with all the gear I need to go surfing out at First Beach in La Push."

"Yeah, we've got everything you need. Do you surf much, Edward?" Mike asked.

"I…"

"Edward," Alice interrupted, "You said you were going to buy me dinner. Let's go order and then you can talk."

"Ok, Alice. I'll be back guys, have to go feed the sister."

"Hey, no problem," Tyler spoke up. "You can order with the phone on the table over there," and he pointed to a phone on the table where Katy was sitting. "They'll bring your food out when it's ready."

"Ok, thanks," and Alice and I walked over to the table and sat down. Tyler, Mike and Jessica and Lauren followed us over. We looked over the menu on the wall of the drive-in, and then I picked up the phone to order. I got a bacon double cheese burger, fries and a chocolate malt, and Alice had the Hawaiian burger, which was a hamburger with a pineapple ring on it, onion rings, and a root beer float.

I turned to the guys, and said, "You guys want anything while I'm ordering?" I asked.

They all shook their heads, and then Mike said, "No, we all ate already, but you can get some fries and cheese balls for munchies, if you want."

Now that sounded promising. Jessica elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a "shut up" look, but I ordered a couple of large orders of each.

"To answer your question, Mike, no, I've never even been surfing, but I heard the surfing was one of the attractions out here, and I want to learn. I met a guy from the reservation today, and he told me he'd teach me."

"Who did you meet?" Mike asked. "Some of those rez kids are a pretty rough crowd. You need to be careful around them."

"Jacob Black," I said. "He seemed like a pretty good guy. Mike's eyes got big.

"Jacob Black! He runs with Sam Uley's crew. You're lucky to be alive, if you ran into him today," Mike exclaimed.

"Nah, Jacob was cool. I met Sam, and he got me a brew while we talked." Mike and Tyler both stared at me, and I had the feeling that they were impressed, or they thought I was lucky to be alive, but Mike glanced back at my bike, and just nodded.

"Yeah, Jacob's cool, Katy spoke up. He's a good surfer too. He won't steer you wrong if you do what he says."

Our food showed up then, and I paid the girl that brought it out. We kept talking as we ate.

Tyler spoke up next, and said, "So, Edward, do you or Alice play any sports?"

"Edward runs cross country, and wrestles," Alice spoke up. That seemed to get Katy and Tyler's attention.

"What about you, Alice," Katy asked. "Are you into any sports?"

"Well, yes and no," Alice said. "They don't have high school teams for my sport, and I'm usually too busy training to play in any of the high school sports."

That seemed to intrigue the crowd, and Mike asked what everybody was thinking, "So what sport do you train for, Alice?"

"I've been studying Taekwondo since I was ten, and I've been studying Haidong Gumdo for about a year now."

"Really?" Mike asked. "Is there even anyplace you can learn that around here?"

"There's a martial arts academy in Port Angeles that specializes in both of those forms, and the owner is very highly regarded in the sport. I'm looking forward to being able to train with him." Alice said.

"So, are you any good?" Lauren asked, but she had a look on her face like she smelled something bad.

Alice shrugged, but I wasn't going to let that go. "Alice is too modest. She's a third degree black belt, and took the silver medal in Paris in 2003, and gold in Toronto, last year in her age group."

That seemed to put Lauren in her place, but Alice glared at me for blabbing about her skills. I didn't mind. I was her brother, and I knew it would make any of these guys think twice about getting fresh with her. They'd be more respectful, if they knew she could kick their ass without breathing hard.

Tyler took the opportunity to change the subject. "So, Edward what weight class do you wrestle?"

"Well, I wrestled 160, last year as a freshman, but I don't think I can cut enough weight to get there this year, so I'm thinking 171 if I really push it or 189 if I want to take the easy way out."

"So, are you any good?" Tyler asked, and he had a worried look on his face. "I was going to try for 171 this year." He said.

Now Alice took the opportunity to jump in and tell them about me. "Edward took second place in the 160 pound weight class at the California State Finals for 4A schools last year. He should have won, but the other kid got ahead in point on a bogus call for a take down, and then stalled until time ran out. If he would have wrestled the match clean, Edward would have kicked his ass and pinned him."

Mike slapped Tyler on the shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look.

It was getting later, and we'd finished our burgers. Some of the other kids had left, and the parking lot was less crowded now. I decided to get the conversation off of us and find out more about Forks.

"So, what do you guys do for excitement around here? Hanging out at the drive-in is cool, but is there more? Mike, you mentioned munchies, do you guys party?"

Mike looked at Tyler and Lauren, and then back at Jessica. Tyler just shrugged, Lauren gave him a 'what ever' kind of look, and Jessica seemed resigned and just nodded.

"Yeah, we party," Mike said and took a joint out of his pocket. "We were getting ready to fire up when you got here," and he put the joint between his lips and lit the end with his lighter.

Mike took a hit, and then passed the joint to me. I took a hit off of it, and it was some really harsh ditch weed. Low quality rag weed, you'd have to smoke a ton of this shit to catch a buzz and then wake up with a headache. I passed the joint to Alice, and exhaled through my nose, and raised an eyebrow to Mike.

"Mike, dude, somebody is seriously ripping you off. That shit is harsh, man. You catch a buzz off this?"

Alice tried the ditch weed, and to her credit, she didn't cough, but gave mike a sympathetic look, shook her head, and passed the joint to Katy across the table.

I reached into my pocket, and took out my pipe and one of the quarters I got from Sam. I opened the baggie. The buds were firm and moist with fine hair sticking to them and had a rich pungent odor. I broke off part of the bud and tamped it down into the bowl of the pipe. I held the pipe in my mouth and fired up with my lighter, and took a hit off the bud to clear the harsh taste of the ditch weed.

I passed the pipe to Mike, and said, "Dude, try some of this bud. This is some primo shit, man, it'll fuck you up."

Mike looked a little dubious, like I'd hurt his pride, but he took the pipe and took a hit off of it. His eyes glazed over, and he got a silly grin on his face, and passed the pipe to Jessica, before he dropped it.

Alice picked up the baggie from where I'd laid it on the table, and took a look at the buds as the pipe made its way around the group. She looked at it closely, and felt the moisture and looked at the fine hairs sticking to the buds. She inhaled deeply from the baggie, and then took a hit off the pipe when Katy handed it to her. She blew out the smoke, and handed me the pipe. I added more fresh bud, fired it up, and passed it to Mike.

"You're right, Edward," Alice said. "This is as good as that Cali Kush bud from San Leandro, but it's different. It's not Kush, and it isn't Thai either. I'm thinking an Afghani indica sativa blend, but somebody around here is a real artist as a grower to come up with this strain of skunk."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too, local product. I wouldn't be surprised if this was hydro from a grow house, from the moisture content, and how well the buds stick together, but then, there's plenty of secluded forest around here in the right part of the year too."

The pipe made the rounds a couple more times, but these local kids were light weights after having nothing but that ditch weed they'd been buying, and they were all pretty stoned. Alice got up to go to the restroom with Angela and Jessica. Angela looked lost, and Jessica just kept giggling about everything she heard and saw. I think Alice went with them to keep them out of trouble. Mike was just kind of blankly staring off into space, and there was a trickle of drool running down his chin. Tyler was having a heated discussion with Lauren, Michaela, and Ben about whether or not there were hidden cameras in the school so the principal could spy on the kids.

Katy got up, she didn't seem quite as toasted as the other kids, and she came and sat next to me on the bench. She scooted over close, so her thigh was pressed up against mine, and she reach over and started tracing slow circle on the back of my hand and wrist with her fingers.

"So, Edward, you run cross country too," Katy said in a low voice, keeping the conversation private. "How did you do last year?" She asked, her lips were close to my ear, and I could feel her hot breath as she spoke.

"I did ok," I told her. I lifted my arm over her shoulder and snaked it around her waist, pulling her closer and resting my hand on her hip. She didn't push me away, so I started to rub her leg. She reached for my free hand on the table, and I stroked circles on the back of her hand with my thumb.

"How good was ok," she asked, whispering into my ear.

"I was an individual state qualifier, but my team didn't go. I finished 25th out of a field of 250 runners." She dropped her free hand onto my leg, and was lightly massaging my leg now, when I looked over and saw Alice coming back from the restroom with Angela and Jessica. She didn't look pleased to see Katy all over me.

"So, Edward, are you going to take me for a ride on your motorcycle," Katy asked as her hand dropped lower to graze along the inside of my thigh.

"Um, Katy, I need to give Alice a ride home. She came with me, and I can't leave her stranded here." It was getting late, and it looked like the drive-in was getting ready to close.

"She can catch a ride with Tyler. Hey, Tyler, you have to go out past Merchant Road to drop off Ben and Lauren, Can Alice ride with you guys?" Katy asked.

"Sure, no problem if she needs a ride, we're going that way." Tyler said. "You want to come with us, Alice?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, go ahead and give her a ride, Edward. I'll go with Tyler, Alice said. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, and I wondered what she had against Katy. Alice had never complained when I dated in California. I wasn't a player, but I'd gone out with my share of different girls before.

Everybody started to leave then when the Drive-in flashed the lights to let everyone know it was closing time. Tyler got into the driver seat of the van, and Lauren got in the passenger seat. Jessica and Mike climbed in the back and Mike put his arm around her, the Angela, Ben, Eric and Alice climbed in and shut the door. Michaela, Brittany and another guy went and got into another car, and Katy held my hand as we walked over to my Harley.

I handed her Alice's helmet, and helped her put it on, then I stepped onto the bike. I put on my helmet and mirror shades, and Katy climbed on the back of the bike and wrapped her arms around my waist. I kicked the engine to life, and pulled the bike over to the exit onto Forks Avenue.

"So, Katy, how far do you want to go tonight?" I asked with a smirk

"Head south to East E Street, don't worry, I'll let you know when to stop," and she reached down between my legs and grabbed my hard cock through my jeans.

I pulled out onto the street and cruised south down Forks Avenue. It was about 7 blocks to East E Street, but the only thing down there was the high school, and E Street would take you back to the track. I didn't argue as Katy rubbed my hard cock as we rode down the street and pressed up against my back. I turned left on East E Street, and then Katy told me to turn left again in the middle of the block onto a gravel drive way. The access road brought us back behind the gymnasium at the high school, between the gym and the bleachers at the football field.

Katy told me to pull over to a door in the back of the gym, and park. She got off the bike, and pulled me with her after I shut off the engine and leaned it onto the stand. She took off the helmet, and I took off mine, and she took my hand and pulled me over to the door.

"I'm captain of the girls cross country team this year, and Coach Newhouse gave me a key to the weight room, so I can get the girls together to work out over the summer," Katy told me, and she unlocked the door. She pulled me inside and the door swung shut behind us. She held my hand, and pulled me down the hall, and then used her key to open another door. She flipped on the light, and we were in a well stocked modern weight room full of work out machines and exercise equipment. There was an open area with exercise mats for floor exercise and wrestling sparring, free weights, and a couple of weight benches.

Katy let the door swing shut behind us, and then she turned to me and pressed herself up against me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tangled her fingers in my hair as she pulled my face down to hers and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her, and pulled her to me, and let her soft warm lips move on mine as I reached down and squeezed her firm ass. I felt Katy's lips part, and she ran her tongue across my bottom lip. I opened my mouth, and our tongues met, slick and sweet and velvety smooth as she pushed her tongue into my mouth and ran it across my teeth and explored the ridges on the roof of my mouth.

Finally she had to break the kiss to catch her breath, and I trailed kisses along her jaw to the hollow below her ear, and placed open mouthed kisses along the column of her neck.

"God I've wanted to do that, ever since I watched you get off your motorcycle at the drive-in. You're just so gorgeous Edward, I couldn't help myself," and then Katy reached down and unsnapped my jacket and reached up and pushed my leather jacket off of my shoulders.

I let go of her, and let her push it off to fall on the floor behind me. Then I reached for the hem of her hoodie and lifted it over her head, she pulled her arms out of the sleeves and I dropped it next to us. I took a couple of steps back, drawing her with me, and sat down on a weight bench. I pulled Katy onto my lap, and she wrapped her legs around me, straddling my hips.

She reached for me again and pressed herself against me, grinding her pussy against my cock through our jeans. I put my arms around her and pulled her against my chest as out lips met again. Her lips parted and I pushed my tongue into her mouth.

I lifted the hem of her t-shirt, and ran my hands up the smooth skin of her back under her shirt. I felt the clasp of her bra, and flipped it open with practiced ease.

I felt Katy sigh against my lips as I raised her shirt, and lifted the cups of her bra off of her firm perky breasts. I reached between us, and cupped her breast, gently squeezing it, and running my thumb over her nipple as it hardened under my touch.

She leaned back, and I pulled the shirt and her bra off over her head and dropped it on the floor.

I leaned forward and pulled her to me as I took her hard nipple between my lips and sucked it into my mouth, flicking my tongue over her hard pebble. I massaged her other breast and played with her nipple with my free hand, and Katy moaned and called my name as she writhed in pleasure.

Katy scooted her hips back, and then I felt her hands on my belt, pulling it open. She unsnapped my jeans, reached for my fly, and pulled my zipper down.

I felt her reach for the waist band of my jeans at my hips, and she started to work them down. I had to let her go, and I scooted to the end of the bench and raised my hips as she pulled down my jeans and boxers all at once, down off my hips and past my knees around my ankles.

She scooted back close again, and reached down to wrap her hand around my hard cock, and started to stroke me up and down the length of my cock.

I reached for the snap on her jeans, but she took my hand and lifted it to her breast again. "Not tonight, let me make you feel good. It's almost my curfew, and we don't have much time."

Katy slid backward, and pulled me to the edge of the weight bench, and then she dropped to her knees between my legs. She stroked the length of my hard cock, and then she leaned forward and kissed the tip.

She ran her hot tongue around the head, licking me like an ice cream cone, and then she leaned forward and sucked my hot dick into her mouth as she stroked my shaft.

She bobbed up and down on the head of my cock, and wet the shaft with her spit so her hands slid silkily up and down my shaft.

It felt absolutely fucking amazing as she set up a rhythm, sliding as far forward as she could go, until I felt the head of my cock brush against the back of her throat, and then she'd pull forward as she swirled her tongue around me.

I worked my fingers through her hair and gently held her head as she moved on me. It was hot and wet as she sucked and stroked, and I felt like I had gone to heaven.

"Oh god, Katy… God, that's fucking amazing!" I moaned.

She sucked me harder and faster, and I was getting close.

"God, Katy… I'm almost there!" I warned her, but it just seemed to encourage her to work me harder.

I tapped her on the shoulder, and said, "Oh god, I'm going to… I'm going to come!"

I exploded in her mouth, as she pushed forward and took me deep in her mouth. She could only fit about half of my cock in her mouth as my head brushed against the back of her throat.

I felt her swallowing as my orgasm pulsed through me, but she couldn't keep up, and I saw a dribble of come run down her chin.

Finally, she pulled back off of me, and my cock came out of her mouth with a pop as she sucked down my length to the head.

She reached up and scooped the dribble of come off her chin with her finger, and then she stuck her finger in her mouth to suck my come off her finger.

I pulled her up and wrapped my arms around her, and our lips met again. I opened my mouth and stuck my tongue into Katy's mouth, and I could taste my come in her mouth.

I heard music coming from Kay's hoodie, and she let me go and reached for it. She pulled a cell phone out of the kangaroo pocket, and looked at it.

"Shit, it's my mom… I need to get home, or I'm going to break curfew. If I'm late again, she's going to ground me for the rest of summer vacation." Katy started to gather her clothes and get dressed, so I pulled up my pants and fixed them. I grabbed my leather jacket and shrugged back into it, and we were ready to go.

We headed for the door, and I stopped her before she shut off the light. "Let me see your phone," I told her, and I handed her mine. I programmed my number into her contact list, and she added her number to mine. I gave her another quick kiss, and then we left.

We got back on my Harley, and I drove her across town to her house. We had to backtrack all the way past the drive-in, and then west into a newer housing tract where the houses were close together. It was more like what I was used to from California, but most of the houses still didn't have fences.

I pulled up in front of the house that Katy said was home, and she got of the bike and took off the helmet. She handed it to me; I set it on the gas tank, but kept her hand. I stepped off the bike, pulled her into my arms, and kissed her hard in front of her house.

I glanced up at the house, and saw somebody peeking out the curtains, and then the porch light flashed off and on. Katy pulled away from me, and said, "I have to go…"

"When will I see you again?"

"Call me." The lights flashed again. "I surf too; we can do the beach, night…"

"Good night, Katy," and then she was inside the door and the porch light shut off.

I put Alice's helmet in the saddle bag at the back of the bike, and got back on and cruised home. Carlisle's Lexus hybrid was parked in the garage next to the Volvo. I pulled the Harley in, and killed the engine. I pushed down the center stand, and pulled the bike back and up onto it to park it for the night. Then I went into the house.

All of the downstairs lights were off. I went upstairs, and there was no light under Carlisle's door, so I assumed he was asleep. I could hear soft music coming from down the hall, and Alice's door was half open. I tiptoed down the hall, and I had my hand on my door knob…

"Edward," I heard Alice say my name from across the hall in her room. I sighed and went back and opened her door.

Alice was sitting cross legged on the floor like she did when she meditated. She was wearing a soft lavender pair of pajama pants, and a matching tank top. She had her tarot cards spread out in front of her, and she gathered them up, shuffled, and spread another pattern out in front of her. Alice's ability with that kind of thing was uncanny and downright scary sometimes. I'd never known her to be wrong about a prediction yet. Her eyes had that slightly glazed look she got when she worked her mojo, and she gathered up the cards again and cast another pattern.

"Don't fall in love, Edward. I know you like her, but she isn't the one. There will be another girl. She isn't here yet. She's in pain, and you'll help her to heal."

"I don't know if I can do that, Alice. I really like Katy. I've never felt like this before."

"I know, I can see it, she will make you very happy if you let it happen. You only have a choice for a short time where you can choose your path."

"And if I choose not to love Katy?" I asked.

"It will be painful. Your life will be hard, you will be rejected by your peers, but when the time comes, you will be ready to be happy."

"And if I choose Katy?"

"Then someday you'll have to make a choice between the girl that owns your heart, and the girl that owns your soul."

"Good night, Alice, I'll see you in the morning." I turned to walk out of her room.

"Good night, Edward. Please make the right choice." I could see that Alice was serious, and I bowed my head and went to my room.

I turned on the light, and I was taken by surprise. Alice was a great sister, and I was an ass. She'd made up my bed and moved all of the boxes that she hadn't unpacked to one side of the room. My clothes were in my dresser, and the closet was organized and neat with my clothes hanging up.

I took off my boots and my leather jacket, and grabbed some sleep pants and headed down the hall to the bathroom. I got undressed, and ran a hot shower, and got in and let the water wash away the stress of this long day. I got out, dried off and brushed my teeth. I pulled on the sleep pants, stuffed my dirty clothes in the hamper, but I took my pants back to my room so I could clean out my pockets tomorrow.

I got my phone out of my jacket pocket so I could plug it in to the charger laying on the nightstand next to my bed. I stared at it for a minute as I turned off the light and turned on the bedside lamp. I should just plug it in and go to bed. Damn it, I was tired of being in pain. I'd been in pain ever since mom died, and now I finally felt good.

I lay down on the bed, and flipped the phone open and scrolled through the contacts. I stared at Katy's number for a long time. Maybe I was being selfish, but fuck it, I wanted my happiness, and I wanted it now. I pressed the send button.

"_Hi, Edward,"_ Katy said.

"Hey, Katy, did you get in trouble when I dropped you off," I asked.

"_My mom freaked out, when you dropped me off on your motorcycle, and my dad says they want to meet you, before we can go out again, but they took it better than I thought they would."_

"That's cool; I can be charming when I need to be. Your parents will love me. So, you want to help me pick out a surf board tomorrow…"

I heard Alice groan from across the hall. "Damn it Edward, wrong choice!" as her door slammed shut.


	2. First Sight

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward starts the story. Bella and Alice may have a say later on.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Photos have been posted in my profile. I'll add some more as they become relevant to the chapters.

Notes on specific changes relevant to this Alternate Universe are available at the end of this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2 First Sight

One year later: August 2006

The first part of Alice's prediction had come true. I was in love with Katy Decker, and we were both very happy. She'd helped me pick out a surf board and a wet suit and I'd learned how to surf. Jacob Black and I had become good friends, and he taught me to cliff dive too. I charmed Katy's parents, and they both thought I was great.

Sophomore year at Forks High School had been like a dream, or something you saw in a movie about the perfect year of high school. I got a new attitude with Katy beside me as my girlfriend, and carried a 3.78 GPA with almost straight A's. I joined the cross country team and went to the state finals as an individual qualifier, and took first place in the men's 1A class.

I joined the wrestling team, was undefeated with a 29-0 record and won the state championship in the 171 pound weight class for 1A schools. Tyler and I became good friends. He went through a small growth spurt, and wrestled 189. I helped him learn some moves, we trained together, and he ended up winning the state championship in the 189 pound weight class for 1A schools.

Carlisle found a storefront shop to open his holistic medicine clinic in. It took him a while to fill out all the forms and wade through the red tape. He had to take some exams over again, but he managed to transfer his certification as a licensed acupuncturist over to Washington State and had built up a clientele. Between his clinic, running a successful internet business selling herbal remedies and dietary supplements, and his stock market portfolio, he made a good living.

Alice was a mystery to me. She hung out with Katy and me. She made friends, and got good grades. I drove her to her martial arts classes twice a week, and she was teaching some of the classes for the newer students at the academy. She'd gone to some pretty prestigious tournaments, and won another gold medal, but she didn't date. It was like she wanted nothing to do with guys except be friends. I was worried that maybe she was into girls, but Katy set me straight, and told me that she'd talked to Alice, and it was ok. Katy said that Alice was just waiting for the right guy, and she'd know it when he came into her life.

Summer vacation had been great. Alice qualified for the Paris International Taekwondo Championship again, and Katy's parents gave her permission to go with my family to the tournament. Katy and I spent two weeks in Paris with Alice and Carlisle, living in grand style, and then came home to spend our days surfing, hanging out with our friends, and exploring Washington together, cruising on my Harley. My life was truly great and I had never been this happy before.

Summer vacation was over now, and we were starting our junior year at Forks High School, with every expectation that this year would be just as great as last year.

It was the first day of school, and I pulled into the parking lot at Forks High School in my silver Volvo S60R. I got a good parking spot close to the walkway into the school and other cars were just starting to show up as people arrived for the start of the new school year. It was early, but we'd heard that there were some new kids starting today and we wanted to be here to get a look at them when they showed up.

I got out, and went around, and opened the door for Katy. I helped her out of the car, and put my arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head as she snaked her arm around my waist. Alice got out of the backseat, handed me our bags, and I carried them in my free hand as we made our way into the school. Katy was wearing my Class ring. She was very proud of the fact that I given it to her this summer, and wanted to show her friends.

We made our way into the middle of the campus, in the little courtyard between the administration building and the main school building. Alice went over to say hi to Angela and Jessica, where they were sitting at a picnic table. Katy and I followed her over, and said hi to our friends as they started to arrive for the start of the school year. It looked like quite a crowd had gathered to try and get a look at the new kids. I still thought it was kind of quaint that something as simple as new students starting school could cause such a stir, but it was a small town, and a small school. To be honest, I was glad that somebody new was moving to town, so Alice and I wouldn't be the new kids anymore.

It was getting close to time for the first bell, when a police cruiser drove into the parking lot and pulled up to the curb closest to the office. I was wondering what the police were here for, but then the passenger door and the backseat door opened, and two kids got out. They were a boy and a girl, and they shouldered their school bags and made their way towards the office.

I felt a strange sensation the closer they got to us, like a pull in the pit of my stomach to move closer to them. It seemed to draw me towards the dark haired girl, but I resisted it, thinking it was really weird that I would feel such a strong attraction to her.

She was very fair-skinned, almost pale, with long, straight, dark brown hair and the most amazing golden topaz eyes. Her face appeared heart-shaped, wider at the forehead with a widow's peak, large, wide-spaced eyes, prominent cheekbones, and then a thin nose and a narrow jaw with a pointed chin. Her lips were a little out of proportion, a bit too full for her jaw line. Her eyebrows were darker than her hair and more straight than they were arched. She looked like she'd stand about five foot four in her stocking feet, but the heels made her look taller. She was slender and did not appear at all muscular, and looked like she'd weigh about 115 pounds.

She was wearing a pair of tight dark blue low cut jeans and a black t-shirt with a bright red print that looked like it came from a graphic novel, layered over another purple t-shirt. She had mid-calf high heeled boots on, and she was wearing a full length black leather trench coat, open with the belt hanging loose over the ensemble.

They were about to walk past us when the girl suddenly raised her head, looked up and stared straight into my eyes. It felt like she was looking straight into my soul, and I felt a connection snap between us. The pull in my stomach became a steel cable as thick as my wrist, joining us together and I felt like I couldn't have moved away from her if my life depended on it. It felt like the earth stood still, and everything else in the universe was inconsequential and ephemeral except for the only other person that mattered in all of creation and she was standing in front of me, staring into my eyes. An electric shock flashed down my spine, I was covered in goose bumps and broke out in a cold sweat as I stared at the most beautiful being that god had set upon the face of the world, and I felt an overwhelming desire to make her mine and protect her.

Only a few seconds had passed, when the boy with her took her by the elbow and directed her to the office. I realized that she had stopped for a second in front of me, and to the casual observer, it would have looked like she stumbled. I snapped out of my reverie as the moment passed and they moved away and went into the office. She stopped as she went through the door, and looked back at me again, and then she was gone as the door closed.

Suddenly I felt guilt flash through me as I realized I was still holding Katy close to my side, Katy who was my world, the girl who wore my ring and had given me everything that she had to give. I had given her my heart and she had healed my pain as we let our love grow. I felt like a cad for the way I had felt when I stared into the new girls eyes, and then fear flashed through me, as I thought about what Alice had told me that night so long ago, when we had moved to Forks: _"Someday you'll have to make a choice between the girl that owns your heart, and the girl that owns your soul."_ I wondered if that day was approaching, to rob me of my happiness again.

The office door opened after a few minutes, and they came back out. I resolved not to look at the new girl again, but studied her companion. The boy, or rather young man looked almost too old to be in high school. He was six foot three and muscular but lean with golden honey blond hair. He had the same golden topaz eyes, and I wondered if they might be related but the resemblance stopped at the eye color.

It looked like he had a thin scar running from the corner of his eye, across his left cheek and along his jaw line. He was wearing stonewashed gray boot cut jeans over black cavalry style boots, a gray bib front western shirt and a dark gray leather full length duster style trench coat.

He didn't smile, and had a hard cold demeanor. The young man had a wary look and his eyes were constantly moving as he took in every little detail of his environment, but he didn't fidget or spare any extraneous movement as his eyes scanned the crowd. He looked dangerous, but hovered over the new girl, like he was ready to pounce and protect her at a moments notice.

I wondered if he was her boyfriend, and suddenly I felt jealousy flash through me, only to be consumed by guilt as I realized once again that I held Katy by my side. The new young man glanced in my direction, and raised an eyebrow, with a look of surprise, and then they were past us.

I supposed it would be better if she were taken too, this new girl that had entered our world and made me feel so strange. It would be easier to come to terms with my strange emotional mood swings that this new girl seemed to trigger if the dangerous looking young man really was her boyfriend. The first bell rang then, and I was jolted out of my reverie. I realized people were talking to me, and Katy was pulling on my arm, trying to get me to move so we could go to our lockers before class started.

I had felt the same tugging sensation in the pit of my stomach when they walked out of the office, and it made me want to follow them as they made their way into the school, but I resisted the temptation until they were out of sight. I felt an almost physical pain in my chest that grew in intensity the further they moved away until finally they were out of sight and I was left with a dull ache in my chest.

I let Katy pull me along, and we made our way into the school building. Katy's locker was on the first floor at the north end of the central hall. We dodged through the crowd, and then she let me go to dial in her combination and open the locker. She dropped off her bag, and collected a notebook and pen for her first period class, and slammed the locker shut. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, and pulled herself against me.

"I'm going to miss you today," Katy pouted.

I glanced up the hall, but there were no teachers in sight. No sense getting written up for a PDA on the first day of school, but the coast was clear. I wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her, and then stepped back and rested my forehead on hers.

"I'll miss you too, but we only have to wait until third period, and we'll be together for lunch, too."

"We should go talk to Mrs. Cope. It sucks that we only have one class together," Katy complained.

"You were the one that wanted to take French instead of Spanish, and I told you to sign up for AP English. I would have been happy to tutor you."

"I know, but I didn't want to work that hard this year. I don't think I'll need it to get into college, and it just sounded like so much reading. Besides, the critical analysis papers always give me a headache."

"I know, love, but we'll find time to be together. I better get going. I need to go to my locker before class starts. I'll see you in trig." I kissed her forehead, and left to go to the stairway in the middle of the building.

I looked back down the hall, and Katy waved to me as she went in the door of her first period class. I waved back at her, and went up the stairs to the second floor. I hurried to my locker at the south end of the hall, opened it, and dropped off my bag. I got out a notebook and made sure I had a pen, and then closed the locker and hurried to my first period AP English class. Kids were still making their way into the room as I got there and went through the door. I saw Alice sitting on one side of the room, and she waved me over to where she was holding a seat for me.

Mrs. Jensen had the tables in the room arranged into a horseshoe shape so that everyone could see into the middle of the room, with her desk off to one corner at the front of the room. A lot of this class would revolve around class discussion of the assigned reading material that consisted poetry, drama, prose fiction, and expository literature within themed units. This course focused on extensive and intensive reading and discussion of serious, college level literature, with emphasis placed on written and oral analytical, rhetorical and critical analysis. We would be required to write critical analyses of literature as well as evaluative essays about our own work and personal reading in addition to the assigned course material.

At the end of the year, we'd have the option to pay to take a national placement test, and if we scored high enough, we could receive college credit for this class in addition to fulfilling the graduation requirement for an English credit. It was a lot of work, but the $80 fee to take the placement test was a bargain compared to the credit hour cost for tuition at most colleges, and it gave us a taste of what college level courses would be like.

Most of the seats were filled up, and then the door opened, and the two new kids walked into the room. They didn't stop to hang up their coats on the pegs by the door, as they made their way around to the back of the room, and found two seats together at the bottom of the horseshoe. Instead they took off the long coats, hung them on their seats, and sat down to wait for class to start.

Being the first period of the day, we had to sit through the Advisory, and listen to the Principals bulletin and the daily announcements. The lunch menu was announced, and practice for the after school sports. The football team had already been meeting for the last two weeks of summer vacation, and I had been meeting with the cross country team for a daily run. We'd have our first official practice tonight, but I was looking forward to another winning season.

Once the announcements were out of the way, Mrs. Jensen took roll and started the class. Alice and I heard our names near the beginning of the list and answered "here' as usual, and I paid attention to hear the two names that would be unfamiliar to me.

Most of the kids had spoken up, and then Mrs. Jensen called, "Isabella Swan?"

"Here, but just Bella, please," the new girl answered in a musical sounding voice that made me think of wind chimes.

"Ok then, Bella it is." Mrs. Jensen answered, and then continued the roll.

She called a couple more names of people I knew, and finally called, "Jasper Whitlock?"

"Here, Ma'am," the new dangerous looking young man sitting next to Bella answered in a southern drawl.

Once roll was finished, Mrs. Jensen passed out copies of the syllabus for the class and passed around copies of the first novel that we would be reading for the class. She discussed her expectations for the class and talked about the national advanced placement test we could take and what we'd be expected to accomplish this year to be adequately prepared to take it.

I tried to pay attention to Mrs. Jensen, and take notes about what I would be required to do this year, but my eyes kept turning to look at Bella Swan, sitting at the back of the classroom. More than once, I realized that she was looking back at me, and then we'd both look away and turn back to the lecture, embarrassed that we'd been caught staring.

I looked over to Alice, to see how she was doing, to try and keep my gaze from wandering back to Bella, and I realized she was doodling in her notebook. This was completely foreign to me. Alice always took impeccable notes, and I could always rely on her to catch anything I had missed. I looked at her sketch, and realized she was drawing a pair of eyes. There was a sketch of a nose, a curve of lips, several other pairs of eyes, and then a chill ran down my spine as I recognized the shape of the thin scar running from the corner of the eye, across the cheek and along the line of the jaw.

I looked up at Alice but she wasn't looking at me or her notebook. I followed her gaze, and sure enough, she was staring at Jasper Whitlock as her pen moved on the page in front of her. I looked around the room to see if anybody else was reacting like this but if anything Bella and Jasper were having the opposite affect on the rest of the class.

The students seated to either side of them had scooted their chairs as far away from them as they could, without climbing into the laps of the kids beyond them. Stacy Horner's eyes were wide open with distress like she was terrified to be in the same room with Jasper, and I could see her shudder in fear, every time that he'd shift in his seat or make any small movement. None of the other kids would look at them, as though there was a current of energy in the air that vibrated "Danger, run away!" It seemed silly to me, but then Alice and I were both reacting strangely as well.

Mrs. Jensen wrapped up her lecture, and the bell rang ending the period. You'd think somebody had yelled fire in a crowded theatre, the kids cleared out of the room so fast. Alice and I were almost the last to leave, followed by Bella and Jasper.

I turned to Alice, and told her goodbye. I wouldn't see her until lunch, and then we'd have AP Chemistry together for sixth period. Bella and Jasper had disappeared down the hall together and I realized that the dull ache in my chest had stopped when they came into the classroom. I had felt the same tugging sensation in the pit of my stomach when they left and walked down the hall, and now the pain in my chest had returned when they left.

I pushed it out of my mind, and chalked it up to coincidence, and went to my locker and dropped off my notebook and the novel and got my gym clothes out of my bag. I closed my locker, and hurried to the boy's locker room to dress out for P.E. I had natural athletic ability, and gym Class was always easy for me. I did well at all of the sports we tried throughout the year, and got along well with all of the coaches.

Coach Clapp had tried to recruit me for the football team when we first started at Forks high school, last year, but I turned him down and joined the cross country team. He'd wanted me for a running back, but he finally quit complaining when I won meet after meet and then took the state championship. The same scenario had repeated during the winter sports season, when he wanted me on the basketball team, but I had gone out for wrestling instead.

It wasn't that I had anything against those other sports, and I would have done well at them, but I wasn't a team player. I preferred a sport where I didn't have to rely on the ability of my team mates to win. Cross country and wrestling both counted team scores, but your team didn't need to win for you to receive individual recognition, and the individual achievement was actually more highly regarded, with the team ranking considered as almost an afterthought. I would only have to rely on my own merits in the sports that I chose, and I could push myself as hard as I needed to, to win without worrying about some slacker dragging us down because he didn't care.

It's not that I didn't care, or didn't try to help my team, but I preferred to lead by example, and if somebody didn't want to keep up with the pace I set, then that was their problem. I tried to encourage my team mates, and helped them train and try to excel to the best of their ability, but I wasn't a cheer leader, and they had to want to win. I didn't consider myself to be a prima donna. I didn't expect any special treatment and didn't brag or consider myself to be better than my team mates, I was just independent, and perhaps a bit stubborn.

Coach Clapp slapped me on the back as I came out of the locker room. "Welcome back Edward, Ready for another cross country season?" he asked.

"Sure coach, it's going to be a great year!"

"Been getting any running in this summer?"

"Katy and I are up to about sixty five miles a week. About 8 miles a day and a long run on Sunday's. This season should be cake!"

"Sounds good, Edward, C'mon, lets get this year started."

The weather was still nice, for Washington in the last week in August, meaning it wasn't raining today, so we were outside for gym. We started off with roll call, then some calisthenics to warm up. We divided into teams and started off with soccer this year, and had fun running up and down the field kicking the ball around. It was too bad that soccer wasn't more popular in America, I really liked it more than American football, but there was no accounting for taste and the TV networks liked all the breaks so they could show lots of commercials.

Coach Clapp kept an eye on his watch, and then he blew his whistle, and told us to hit the showers. We went back inside, and I showered and changed back into my clothes to go to third period. The bell rang as I was finishing dressing, and I headed back to my locker to grab my notebook and calculator for trig.

Katy and I both arrived at the classroom at the same time, and I put my arm around her waist as we walked through the door. I felt the tug in my stomach, and the pain in my chest disappeared as we walked into the room, and sure enough, I saw Bella Swan and Jasper Whitlock sitting in the back corner of the room.

Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton were sitting at a table up in the front of the room, and they waved and called us over to join them. Mike and Jessica had an on again off again relationship. They were together when I first met them, but had broken up before school started. Mike had made a play for Alice, and then made rude comments about her when she turned him down. I'd set him straight and given him a black eye, and we'd been friends ever since. He started treating girls better, and now Mike and Jessica were a couple again. It probably wouldn't last, but that's just how they were.

I looked back at Bella and Jasper as we went to sit with Jessica and Mike, and Bella Swan was giving me the strangest look, like she was totally pissed off at me for some reason, and I could almost feel her glare burning into the back of my head as I sat down next to Katy. I knew I hadn't done anything to her. I hadn't even been introduced to her, and I hadn't said anything about her to anyone in school.

Mrs. Post called the class to order after the bell rang, and took the roll. She passed out text books, discussed what we'd be learning this year, and then gave us our first assignment. The first chapter was a review of what we'd done last year, and she assigned us problems from the review section for homework. The class was about half over, and she had us divide up into groups to work on the assignment, so she'd have time to work individually with anyone that had trouble with the work.

Jessica and Mike naturally formed a group with Katy and me. I opened my notebook and started writing out the problems and jotting down the answers, as I turned to Jessica. I could do this assignment in my sleep, and at least Mrs. Post couldn't complain that I wasn't working. Jessica Stanley was the biggest gossip in school, and between her and her mother, I doubted if there was a rumor left in Forks that they hadn't heard or started.

"So, Jessica, what's the news about the new kids?" I asked her, nodding in their direction to get her started.

"Edward, that's rude, they're sitting right back there," Katy said, glancing back to see if they'd heard, but they ignored us and kept working on their assignment.

"That didn't stop her from talking about me last year, besides most of what she said was true, if a little opinionated. So what have you heard, Jess?"

"Well, the girl is Isabella Swan, but she goes by Bella. The boy is Jasper Whitlock," Jessica said, leaning in conspiratorially, like she was sharing a great secret.

"Yeah, I knew that, they're both in my first period class, and they started this thing called a roll call this year. Is that the best you've got?" I asked sarcastically.

"Give me a minute, I'm just warming up. They're both foster kids," Jessica continued. "They moved in with the Dahlke's last week. Amanda Dahlke went away to college last year, so they have a bunch of empty rooms in their house now because Amanda was the youngest. Mrs. Dahlke told my mom that the house was too quiet, so Mr. Dahlke signed up for a program at the police station."

"Well, that's nice of the Dahlke's to take them in like that," Katy said.

"Yeah, but I think they're a couple," Jessica continued. "They have almost all of their classes together, and they're never apart. It's like they do everything together."

"They're probably just looking out for each other," Katy said. "They don't know anybody here yet."

That much was true, they didn't know anybody here, but the part about the Dahlke's didn't make sense to me. Rich Dahlke was a cop on the Forks police department, but he was as crooked as a dog's hind leg. Dahlke was on the take, and he had a price to look the other way.

Sam Uley paid him off not to look too hard at his business out at Quillayute State Airport, and Rich looked the other way, as long as Sam's crew didn't boost any cars in town. It hadn't taken long to figure out which liquor stores were paying him off. There were three places in town were you could buy anything off the shelves for a slight markup and no questions, and there were two bars that didn't ask for ID.

Rich didn't come across as the sort to become a foster parent out of the goodness of his heart, and he had to be working some kind of scam to be involved in this. I didn't know much about Marilyn Dahlke, but she'd seemed like a nice enough lady every time I'd seen her. I hoped Bella and Jasper didn't get hurt over this.

I glanced back at the new kids again, and Jasper was giving me that odd surprised look again, but then the bell rang ending the class, and I gathered my things to go. I gave Katy a hug when we got out into the hall, and a quick peck on the lips, and then I left for my fourth period class. I didn't bother going back to my locker but just took my math book with me to Spanish.

Señor Flores classroom was on the first floor at the end of the east addition to the main building, and I went down the hall, turned the corner and went up the slight ramp into the newer part of the building. Newer, because it was built in the forties instead of the twenties, but it was well maintained for it's age.

I figured it had to be a coincidence about the pain in my chest, because it hadn't come back after trig when I left the class room, but the tugging sensation in the pit of my stomach had never left. Then I walked into Spanish, and Bella and Jasper were sitting down in the back of the room. Apparently the three of us had walked to class together, and I hadn't noticed them in the hallway.

Angela Weber was sitting up front in the classroom, so I went and sat down next to her. I hadn't expected to see her here this year, and it surprised me.

"Hey, Angela," I said. "I thought you were going to take French with Katy and Alice this year?"

"Hi, Edward, Yeah I'd talked about doing that, but my dad talked me out of it. I'll have more use for Spanish than French, and it didn't make sense to change now, after taking Spanish the last two years."

"Pues bien, la bienvenida de nuevo." _(Well then, welcome back.)_

"Muchas gracias, es bueno estar de vuelta." _(Thank you, it's good to be back.)_

Señor Flores got the class started then. He took the roll, and passed out our text books for this year, and then told us about his expectations for the year. Of course, this being Spanish III, the explanation and lecture was in Spanish and Señor Flores expected all classroom discussion, questions, and explanations to be in Spanish. He was really a pretty easy going guy, as long as you stayed on his good side. Speaking English in Spanish III didn't get you on his good side.

Once he had the preliminaries out of the way, Señor Flores turned to the new students. I'm sure he just wanted to get an Idea of their ability, because they were new, and he hadn't worked with them before, but he asked them to tell the class about themselves. He started off with Jasper.

"Señor Whitlock, ¿Te gustaría decir a la clase un poco sobre usted?"_ (Mister Whitlock, would you care to tell the class a little about yourself?)_

"Sí, señor, yo soy originalmente de Texas, pero he estado viviendo en Seattle durante un par de años." _(Yes, Sir, I'm originally from Texas, but I've been living in Seattle for a couple of years now.)_

I'd been around a lot of Spanish speaking people, living in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, and Jasper spoke like a native speaker, in my opinion. He didn't hesitate or stumble, and he gave the impression that he was thinking in Spanish as he spoke. Señor Flores was impressed. Then he turned to Bella.

"Muy bien, señorita y Swan, ¿qué puedes decirnos sobre ti?" _(Very good, and Miss Swan, what can you tell us about yourself?)_

"Yo crecí en Phoenix, Arizona, pero he estado viviendo en Seattle desde que tenía trece años." _(I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, but I've been living in Seattle since I was thirteen.)_

She was very good as well and appeared to speak Spanish fluently. Perhaps just the slightest trace of an accent, but then it wasn't really my place to judge her ability. Señor Flores seemed to be satisfied about their proficiency with Spanish for now, and he continued with the lesson and assigned homework.

Their answers piqued my curiosity. Jasper's answer had fit the picture I was developing in my mind. It explained the southern drawl he spoke with, but I wondered about the scar on his face, and his cold hard demeanor. I wondered what had happened in his life that had caused him to be that way.

Bella's answer intrigued me, and I wanted to know more about her. Why had she left Phoenix? How had she ended up in foster care? How had she ended up in Forks of all places? I realized that she seemed very sad as I looked back at her, and I felt a desire to make her happy. Her eyes met mine again, and she wasn't glaring at me now, but I felt the tug in my stomach grow stronger, and desire flared through me. I made myself look away and returned my attention to the class. I felt a strong attraction to Bella Swan, but I knew it was wrong, Katy Decker was my girlfriend, and I didn't want my life to become complicated now.

Soon the bell rang, ending fourth period, and it was lunch time. I told Angela good bye, and gathered up my things to drop off at my locker before I went to go look for Katy. I glanced back at Bella before I left, and she was staring back at me with the same look of longing desire that I'd felt earlier. I made myself look away and I went out the door. I felt the pain in my chest grow with each step that I moved away, as I fought against the desire I felt to be near her.

Katy met me at the bottom of the stairs as I was coming down from dropping off my books in my locker. I put my arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head as she snaked her arm around my waist as we turned to head out of the building and go to the cafeteria. It turned out that the cafeteria food was pretty good most of the time. There was a buffet style lunch line, with a couple of choices of entrees and a separate salad bar with fresh fruit and several varieties of salad fixings. Sometimes we went out for lunch, but I'd found that it paid to call an order in ahead of time, if you wanted to be able to eat and make it back to school on time.

We made our way through the lunch line, and I got a tray for us. I got the grilled chicken breast sandwich on a multi-grain bun, but Katy only grabbed a bowl of sugar-free red jello with fruit cocktail mixed in, and then we went to the salad bar. I fixed a light green salad, and grabbed an apple, but Katy fixed a larger chefs salad with greens, and diced ham, chicken, and hardboiled eggs. I got us two bottles of water out of the cooler, and then we went to the cashier, and I paid for our lunch.

We headed over to our usual table from last year, and sat down. Alice had followed us through the line, and she brought her tray over and sat next to me. Angela Webber and Ben Cheney came over and sat next to each other on the other side of the table, and then Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton sat next to Katy. Lauren Mallory and Tyler Crowley showed up last, and it looked like they'd been fighting again, but I knew they'd probably make up and be all over each other by tonight. It was part of their relationship, and we'd seen them do this over and over last year. Lauren was the jealous type, she wanted all of her man's attention, and Tyler was whipped, but I couldn't complain, so was I.

I felt the tug in my stomach again, and looked over to the lunch line. Coincidence was beginning to sound like a thin excuse as I watched Bella and Jasper make their way through the line. Jasper seemed resigned, as though he were putting up with something that he'd prefer was over with. Bella had a pinched expression on her face, with her nose scrunched up like she smelt something bad. She appeared to pick a random selection of items without concern for how they'd taste or the nutritional value, mostly things in Styrofoam bowls and plates covered with plastic wrap. They got to the end of the line, Jasper paid for both of their lunches, and then they made their way to a secluded table in the corner of the room.

"Why are you so interested in those new kids?" Katy asked me as she placed her hand on my arm, startling me, and knocking me out of my reverie. I realized I had been staring at them, and ignoring the conversation at our table.

"I don't know," I lied. "They seem so lonely, and they haven't made any friends. I was the new kid last year, and that could have been me."

"I think there's something going on," Jessica said. "Maybe there's something wrong with them. They're both in foster care. Maybe they did something…"

"That's silly, Jessica." Alice cut her off. "I was in foster care, before I was adopted, and the kids are the ones that need help. Everybody's different, and there are good homes and bad homes. Some of the people you get stuck with really suck, and some of them are really great, like my dad."

"They just seem weird to me," Lauren said, and then she turned away and started to eat her salad.

"They'll probably be really interesting people and fun to hang out with if we just give them a chance," Angela said.

"Jessica said that they're living with Rich and Marilyn Dahlke," I said, as I caught Alice's eye, and raised an eyebrow. I saw Alice tense up, but she didn't let on that there was any problem. She knew everything that I did about the seamier side of Forks, and it raised a red flag for her too.

"Really, hmm, I think I'm going to need to get to know Bella a little better, and find out what she thinks of foster care here in Forks," Alice stated.

"It's your funeral," Ben Cheney said. "Bella might be cute…"

"Ben!" Angela elbowed him in the ribs.

"But that boyfriend of hers gives me the creeps." Ben continued. "He looks like he'd tear your head off without thinking twice about it."

"How do you know he's her boyfriend," I asked

"Jess said…"

"Ben!" we moaned in chorus.

"You really need to watch those rumors around our impressionable youth, Jessica." Alice admonished, and then she grinned, and we all laughed.

The conversation lightened up after that and turned to current events and what people thought of their classes so far this year. Katy and I finished our lunch. I turned sideways and straddled the bench, and Katy leaned back against my chest as I held her in my arms and absentmindedly traced slow circles across her thighs with my fingertips as we laughed with our friends.

I glanced over toward the corner again, and Bella Swan was staring daggers at me again like I'd done something to royally piss her off, but I had no idea what I was doing to offend her. Her strange mood swings were starting to freak me out, and I wondered if Jessica was right. I took another look, and it didn't look like they'd even touched half of what they'd bought for lunch. Most of the plastic wrap on the Styrofoam bowls and plates looked untouched, and I wondered why they bought it if they weren't going to eat it.

I turned back to my own table, before Katy called me on staring again and tried to pay attention to my friends, but my gaze kept drifting back to the corner. Finally the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, and I was actually relieved to be going back to class. I had a feeling that we'd be eating out a lot this year, if this was any indication of what lunch was going to be like.

I walked Katy to her locker, and the coast was clear, so I kissed her soundly on the lips, and got a chorus of hoots and cat calls from the kids in the hall, but I needed it, and it made me feel connected to her again after all of the strange feelings I'd experienced this morning.

I told Katy goodbye, and doubled back to my locker on the second floor to get my notebook for AP Chemistry. The classroom was in the new north wing building, beyond where I'd left Katy. I'd have to hurry to get to class on time but at least it was upstairs and I could go straight into the new wing without having to use the stairs. Mr. Banner was a real martinet for attendance, and I didn't want to set a precedent for being late.

I'd had Banner for Biology last year, and true to form, he had a seating chart and a stack of text books sitting on the lab table at the front of the room. Banner was a stickler for detail, which was a polite way of saying that he was an anal retentive control freak. He'd probably had this seating chart ready for three months, and it must have driven him crazy to have had to change it in the last week before school started. I smiled because Banner and I didn't see eye to eye. He thought he was perfect; I enjoyed pointing out his errors.

I knew he'd needed to change the seating chart, because I could feel Bella Swan in the room when I came through the door. I'd given up my coincidence theory, and resigned myself to the fact that for some strange reason, I could sense when Bella was close by. I looked into the classroom, and sure enough, there she was sitting at a lab table about halfway down the room by the window.

I was familiar with Banners standard operating procedure from last year, so I took a text book from the stack, wrote down the books number on the sign out sheet, and signed my name. Then I looked at the seating chart to find my assigned lab table and lab partner. I'd been hoping that I'd be able to work with Alice in this class, but I knew Banner would never assign my sister as my lab partner. I was shocked when I read the chart, and cringed a little internally. I steeled my resolve and marched down the isle, and sat down on the stool next to Bella Swan.

I laid my textbook and notebook on the lab table in front of me, and I could feel the tug in my stomach ratchet up in intensity with my proximity to the strange new girl sitting next to me. I had the strangest urge to reach out and touch her, but I restrained myself while I took a deep breath to try and control my feelings and glanced around the room to see how the rest of my friends had settled out. Alice and Jessica were seated at a table a row ahead, and on the far side of the room. Mike and Angela were in the back of the room in the middle row.

I turned to my new lab partner, and decided that I might as well try and be polite and introduce myself. I held out my hand, and said, "Hi, Bella, I'm Edward Cullen. I guess we're going to be lab partners this year."

Bella was gripping the edge of the desk so tight, that I could see the tendons stand out in her delicate wrist. Her hands were so pale that I doubted the tension of her grip would have caused any discoloration in her knuckles, but they looked tight as her hand clenched on the edge of the table. She was leaning forward letting her hair hang down like a curtain between us, but she turned slightly towards me as I spoke.

"How do you know my name," she asked, finally lifting her head a little to look at me. She made no move to take my hand, but stared at it like it was some kind of dangerous foreign object.

"This is the fourth class we've had together today, and you've told the teacher in each of the other three classes to call you Bella. I assumed that was your preference, but I can call you Isabella if you prefer."

I dropped my hand back onto the table, because she obviously wasn't going to shake hands with me.

"No, Bella is fine, thank you."

"So, how do you like Forks, Bella? I know it must be very different from Phoenix. It was an adjustment for me, but it grows on you."

"Forks is fine, how do you know… Oh, Spanish class, right? Yeah, it's different from Phoenix, wetter, but I like the overcast. So, you're not from around here either?"

That was strange. Most people missed the sun in the almost perpetual overcast, constant mist and frequent rain, but like I'd said, it grew on you. Like a fungus.

Mr. Banner was getting the class started now. He didn't bother with roll call, because he had the sign in sheet, and started into his discussion of his class rules and expectations. I opened my notebook to start taking notes, but I'd heard all of this last year, and continued my conversation with Bella, speaking quietly.

"No, I'm a recent immigrant from the land of fruit and nuts." She didn't catch the reference and glanced over at me perplexed as she took notes in her notebook, so I continued. "My family moved here from California last year."

She started to relax a bit now, and sat straighter, letting her hair settle back against her shoulders. I could see her eyes again, and they were almost pitch black. I almost commented on it, because I knew they had been a shade of golden topaz when she arrived at school, this morning. I was perplexed as to how I had made such a mistake about the color of her eyes, when I had been captivated staring into them earlier.

"The land of fruit and nuts?" she asked.

"It's a double entendre. California is famous as a producer of a variety fruit and it's also a large producer of nuts, such as almonds. It also refers to the states reputation for having more than it's fair share of fruitcakes and nutjobs."

"Well then, which would you be, Edward? Are you a fruit or a nut?" She asked, and I thought I could see the ghost of a smile cross her lips as she finally started to relax.

"Well I'm definitely not a fruit, so I must be a nut, but that's because some people might say I'm a hard case. My father would probably say I'm hard headed."

"Because you're a tough guy or because you're stubborn?" She asked but I could hear the tease in her voice.

I glanced at her again, and I was amazed when I looked at her eyes. I realized that they were no longer black, but were a darker amber, lightening towards the golden topaz, the more she relaxed. I had never heard of anyone with the ability for their eye color to change like this, and it amazed me, but I didn't comment on it for fear that she'd shut down again.

I shrugged, "Maybe a little of both, so why do you like the overcast? Most people miss the sun when they come here."

"The sun isn't kind to me. It's nice to be able to be out and not have to worry about it." I assumed she meant that she burned easily, and with her pale white skin, I could see where that would be a problem in a place like Phoenix.

"Well, if you like overcast skies and wet misty days, you came to the right place." This was the wet side of the Olympic Peninsula. It wasn't an oppressive wetness, or humid like the Midwest, but the days were wet and misty, giving the atmosphere a constant clean cool crispness.

"You seem to have assimilated well, Edward," Bella stated, changing the subject. "Did you find it hard to make friends here?"

"No, it's always been easy for me to get to know people. I started to meet people the first day I moved here."

"Huh, that must be nice." She said it like she resented the fact that I made friends easily or maybe because it was a skill she lacked, but she went on, "So that blond girl that's been hanging all over you, is she your girlfriend?" Her eyes darkened as the conversation turned to my relationship with Katy.

She said the word girlfriend like it was a swear word, and I thought I detected a little jealousy in her question. I thought back over the day, and realized that maybe it wasn't me that she'd been glaring at. Katy had been with me every time that Bella had given me an angry look today, but she seemed fine with me now. I knew I had to say something. I didn't want Bella to get the wrong idea, and she needed to know we could only be friends.

"Yes, Katy Decker is my girlfriend. We've been together for a little over a year now, we're very happy, but I'm friends with a lot of girls."

"Just friends?" she asked, seeming to resign herself to a painful fact.

"Yes, if you like. What about you and Jasper Whitlock" I asked.

She seemed surprised, but simply said, "Jasper is very special to me," and didn't elaborate.

I didn't want to end our conversation because I wanted to know more about Bella Swan, but I needed to change the subject. I glanced down at her right hand where she still had a grip on the table, though it was more relaxed now. She was wearing a ring, and it didn't strike me as a simple accessory or casual adornment. It looked like a medieval family crest, and I felt that it had some significance.

"That's an Interesting ring you're wearing, does the design have any meaning?"

Bella's hand flinched when I mentioned the ring. She finally let go of the table and raised her hand to look at it, and I got a closer look, then she dropped her hand to her leg. The band of the ring was a delicate filigree that looked like platinum and blended into an oval cameo face about the size of her fingernail. The background of the design was quartered silver and gold in the shape of a shield on the face of the oval. There were two crossed swords with the points of the swords in the top corners. There was a closed fist between the points of the swords at the top, and three green shamrocks in a row below the handles across the bottom of the crest. It reminded me of a design I'd seen on a pirate flag before.

"Yes, the design is a family crest. It was given to me by my mom when they adopted me and I joined her family, but I had to go away for a while. I'll rejoin them in a couple of years, but I have to live here for now."

"If they adopted you, why did you have to go away?"

She didn't get to answer my question.

"Mr. Cullen, is there something that you'd like to share with the class?" Mr. Banner asked.

"No, Sir." I looked up, and saw Mr. Banner glaring back at us. Alice and Jessica had turned to look over their shoulders and were staring back at us. They must have found the situation hilarious from the grins on their faces.

"Then I'd appreciate it if you'd pay attention to the lecture. I'm sure Miss Swan is most enchanting, but you can chat her up on your own time," Mr. Banner continued.

"Yes, Sir," I replied. I shut up after that and we paid attention to the rest of the class lecture.

The rest of the class passed relatively quickly as I listened to Banner drone on about what we'd be doing this year and the class expectations. The high point of this class, of course was the fact that it offered the opportunity to take a test at the end of the term to qualify for college credit, just like AP English, in addition to fulfilling a graduation requirement.

I wanted to try and talk to Bella some more after class, but she jumped off her stool as soon as the bell rang, and dashed out of the room. I saw her meet Jasper in the hall, and it looked like he was carrying a rolled up set of gym clothes, and I assumed they were heading to PE for seventh period. Alice and Jessica met me in the hall as I walked out of the room and we started down the hall toward our lockers.

"So, Bella Swan is more interesting than Mr. Banners Chemistry lecture?" Alice asked with a grin on her face.

"Yeah, Cullen, c'mon spill, what did you two talk about?" Jessica said.

"Not much. She likes the weather here. She grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, but she burns in the sun. She said Jasper is special to her." I wasn't going to tell Jessica about the rest, I'd tell Alice later.

"I told you he was her boyfriend!" Jessica said like she'd been vindicated. Alice looked stricken, like she'd seen her puppy run over in the street.

"She didn't say that he was her boyfriend," I corrected quickly. "She just said he was special, they could just be good friends."

"I'll believe that when I see it. For now, they're an item in my book," Jessica announced. Then she changed the subject. "Are you and Katy coming to the drive-in tonight?" she asked

"I don't know, her moms been sick, and she might want to stay in with her," I said.

"Ok, well Alice can always keep us company if you don't have time for your other friends," Jessica teased.

I told them goodbye, and went on to my locker and dropped off my Chemistry book and notebook, and got my things for US History II. I went down the stairs and down the hall to the last classroom on the south end of the hall, and walked in to find a seat.

Alice was sitting in the front row, and was saving me a seat so I went and sat next to her. Angela looked like she was saving a seat for Ben. Tyler and Lauren were sitting in the back of the room, and it looked like they were well on their way to making up. Ben came in right before the bell, and Mr. Abrams got the class started.

The class followed the same drill as the rest of the classes I'd been in today. Mr. Abrams took roll and handed out text books. He discussed the class, assigned a section to read in the book and review questions to answer, and then the bell rang ending the official part of the school day. Alice told me she'd take my things for me because I'd need them tonight anyhow, and I left for the gym to go dress out for cross country practice.

I went into the locker room, and some of the guys from the last class were still getting dressed. It was the last class of the day, and they didn't have to hurry. Besides, the coaches tended to let the last class of the day run longer, because they knew the kids didn't have to rush to make it to another class. I would have preferred to have been in the seventh period gym class, so I'd be warmed up for practice, but my schedule hadn't worked out that way with the advanced classes that I was taking.

I went to my locker to change, and noticed Jasper Whitlock getting dressed. I don't normally check out guys in the locker room, but something seemed strange about him, and I took a harder look than a simple glance in passing. I realized his back and arms were crisscrossed with scars. Some of them long thin and straight like the scar on his face, others jagged and irregular, and a lot of small half-moon shaped marks on his arms, shoulders and neck. He pulled on his shirt and started to button it, and I turned away and made quick work of changing to run.

Jasper turned, and gave me his cold hard stare as he walked past and went out the door, but I ignored him. I pulled on my running shoes, and followed him out of the locker room and out to the parking lot in front of the school. Some of the kids were already starting to stretch and warm up for practice when I got there, and I went over to say hi to Alice and Katy.

"Hi Edward, ready to run?" Katy said as she came up and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting the season started," I said as I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead, but I was watching Bella Swan as I looked over the top of her head.

I saw Bella stiffen as I embraced Katy, and I was pretty sure she was reacting because I was holding Katy in my arms. Alice looked at us, and then over at Bella, and sighed, then she surprised me.

"You don't really think Jasper is Bella's boyfriend, do you, Edward?" Alice asked.

"No, I think they're friends, and they might have some other relationship, but I don't think he's her boyfriend."

"Good, 'cause I think Jasper's hot, and I'm going to get to know him better."

Katy and I both stared at Alice like she'd grown a second head. She never talked like this! Alice had never shown even the remotest of interest in any of the guy's at school, and now suddenly she wanted to chase after Jasper Whitlock? She hadn't even met him yet, and knew almost nothing about him!

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Alice?" I asked. "You don't know anything about him, and he looks dangerous." I looked over at Jasper and Bella, and I felt the same cold chill run down my spine that I'd felt in English as I thought about Jasper covered in scars.

Alice just shrugged, "Sometimes you just know," she said, and I thought she was going to go talk to him, but she didn't get a chance.

Jasper and Bella were waiting by the curb when a brand new red Dodge Charger pulled into the parking lot. I could tell that the driver had to be lit to the gills from the way they weaved through the parking lot, screeched to a stop for some pedestrians, tentatively jerked to a start, and then weaved forward again. I could smell the alcohol on the breeze out the open window, and then the car stopped, almost driving up on the curb in front of Bella and Jasper. I could see that Bella was pissed off, and she went to the driver door and pulled it open.

"Move over, I'm driving!" she yelled at the person in the car. She threw her school bag in, and got into the driver seat, and slammed the door.

Bella was yelling, and I could hear Jasper trying to calm her down as he got into the back seat. They were arguing, but I thought I heard from all the way over where I was standing, "Appearances be damned… this car… birthday… from Rose… I'm not going to let… wreck it… can't hold her liquor!"

I got a look in the passenger window then, and was shocked to see Marilyn Dahlke, cringing against the passenger door as she held her head. She looked like she was drunk and absolutely terrified as she pressed herself up against the door to move as far away from Bella as she could. Then the car backed off of the curb, and tore out of the parking lot and back up Spartan Avenue. I was watching as they left, and I saw Bella turn and look in my direction as she drove out of the lot, and then they were gone.

We were standing there stunned, when Coach Newhouse came out to the parking lot to get us going. Samantha Newhouse was the girls PE coach, and she was the coach for the cross country team. Coach Clapp coached the football team, but he'd travel with us to away meets as a chaperone, as long as there was no conflict with the football schedule. We only hosted one home meet during the season, so we would have to travel to all of our other meets. Forks high school was the only high school in the county, and all of the meets on the schedule were a 3-5 hour drive each way, so we'd be logging a lot of bus hours again this season.

Alice said goodbye, and told us she'd come pick us up after practice. She had her own set of keys for the Volvo, and she waved as she danced out to the car and got in and left. Coach Newhouse asked how we were doing and gave a speech about how we were going to have a winning season, and then she had us start stretching to loosen up to run.

Katy and I led the pack as we went for a four mile run around Forks, and Coach Newhouse ran with us, and kept our pace. Katy had finished third in the women's 1A class State finals, and I didn't have to hold back to pace her. It was a good run, and it looked like both the boys and girls teams were shaping up nicely, this year. We got back to the school and rested for a minute and did some cool down exercises, and then Samantha dismissed the practice.

Katy and I went back into the locker rooms to grab our clothes, then into the school to get our things that we'd need for homework tonight, and finally went out to get in the car to leave. We'd shower and change when we got home, right now we just wanted to relax.

Alice was waiting for us when we came back out of the school and we got into the backseat together and let Alice drive. Katy leaned into me, and I held her, but we were too tired for anything more right now. It just felt good to hold her and feel her pressed against me.

"Jessica asked if we were going to the drive-in tonight," I said as Alice drove us to Katy's house.

"Mom hasn't been feeling well, and I think I'll stay in with her tonight. Dad's on the road, and I don't feel right leaving her alone. You can go hang out if you'd like. Will you call me later?" Katy asked.

We pulled up in front of Katy's house, and I got out with her.

"Of course, love. Tell your mom I hope she feels better. I'll call you tonight," I kissed her goodbye, and waited until she was in the house, and then I got in the front seat with Alice.

Alice pulled away from the curb and started for home.

"Ok, Edward, what else did Bella Swan say in chemistry, that you couldn't say in front of Jessica?" Alice asked me.

"Not much, I'm pretty sure Jasper isn't her boyfriend. I asked her about her ring, and she said her mom gave it to her when she was adopted. I was going to ask why she wasn't with her family when Banner caught us talking."

"That's strange," Alice said. "This ring she was wearing, was the design a family crest, quartered silver and gold in the shape of a shield with two crossed swords with the points of the swords pointing up, a closed fist between the points of the swords, and three green shamrocks in a row across the bottom?"

"Yeah, that's it. When did you get a look at her ring?" I asked

"I didn't," Alice replied. "Jasper was wearing the same design in the cuff on his wrist."

"That strange, if she got that ring when she was adopted and Jasper wears the same family crest, then maybe he's her brother."

"Ok," Alice said with relief. "I'd rather think of him as her brother than her boyfriend."

"Well, I think something funny's going on. You know about Rich Dahlke, he doesn't strike me as the foster parent type, at least not one that's up to any good. Marilyn Dahlke was scared shitless and drunk as a skunk when she came to pick them up, and she doesn't drink, at least not like that. Stacy Horner had the same reaction in English this morning."

"Yeah, I saw that, but I figured it was just first day jitters," Alice said.

We were home now, and Alice pulled into the garage and parked. We got out, I grabbed my bag and we went into the house.

"I'm going to go shower, and then go for a ride. Take the Volvo if you go to the drive-in later. I'll ride my Harley so I don't have to drop you off later, ok?"

"Got a big night planned, Edward?" Alice asked with a sly grin on her face. "Should I call Katy and warn her to lock her windows?"

"I don't need to use the window; she'll meet me at the door with a smile on, and not much else if I ask nice."

Alice laughed as she went into her room, and I went into my room and laid my bag on my desk. I went to my dresser and got clean underwear, and went to the bathroom and showered. I changed into the clean underwear, and went back to my room and got dressed.

I put on my comfortable faded jeans with the holes in the knees, and my motorcycle boots, then grabbed a black t-shirt with a grey graphic screen print that wrapped around the shirt. I pulled on my leather jacket, and grabbed my wallet and cell phone out of my school clothes, and went back down to the garage. I pulled on my helmet and my mirror shades, got on my Harley, and kicked it to life.

I pulled out of the garage and down the drive, and got the Harley headed south east down the road. I cruised down Merchant drive, and it bugged me to think about Bella and Jasper staying with Rich Dahlke and his wife. I turned left on Calawah Way without really thinking about it, and cruised east up the road. I really hadn't made a conscious decision, but I found myself pulling off the road into the small park next to the Dahlke's house.

The Dahlke's lived in a large single story ranch style house just south of where Calawah Way turned north. The house was on the southeast edge of the east half of town, and was right up against the surrounding forest. There was a small unnamed Park on the west side of the lot next to the house on the same street. The Park was really just a large open grassy field. There are a couple of picnic tables and a barbecue pit with a view of the Dahlke's backyard with enough trees around them to block the view from the street and the main house.

I killed the engine, and leaned the bike onto the stand. I got off, slid my shades into my shirt pocket and took off my helmet and set it on the gas tank over the speedometer and tachometer bump. I climbed onto the picnic table and sat down and took a look at what I could see of the Dahlke's house and yard.

The brand new red Dodge Charger was parked in front of the detached garage on the east side of the lot behind the house. Rich Dahlke's police cruiser wasn't around, and he should probably still be on duty. I didn't see anyone moving around, and the place looked pretty quiet.

For some strange reason I couldn't identify, I wanted to protect Bella Swan, and I was nervous and jittery thinking about her being involved with a low life scum like Dahlke. I needed to relax, and I had a solution for that. I reached into my pocket, and got out my pipe and a baggie from the latest batch of smoke I'd picked up from Jacob. I pinched off a chunk of bud and loaded it into my pipe, and fired up, sitting there checking out the house.

I was starting to relax, and let the sweet pungent smoke carry my worries away. I never heard a sound, not a foot step, nothing… one second total silence, and the next…

"Hey Edward, were you looking for something I could help you with?" Jasper said behind me.

I nearly jumped off the table. I turned, startled and looked over my shoulder, and Jasper Whitlock was standing next to me close enough to touch. I let it go, and played it off like it didn't faze me, but I was freaked out that he could get that close without me noticing.

"Nah, just hangin' out. I had a bad feeling about what I saw in school today, and wanted to make sure everything was ok."

Jasper came over and sat down on the table next to me. He seemed intrigued that I didn't react with fear like the other kids in school had.

"Well, I suppose I should thank you for your concern, but everything is ok," Jasper said.

"I was worried about you and Bella," I told him. "Rich Dahlke isn't exactly a straight arrow kind of guy. I don't peg him as the foster parent type, unless he's working some angle."

"May I," Jasper asked, and held out his hand for the pipe.

I handed it to him, and he reached into to his pocket for a lighter, and took a hit off the pipe.

"This that dogshit that Sam sells down on the rez?" Jasper asked. "His quality has improved since he first started. This is better than what they push in Seattle." Jasper handed me back the pipe.

I knocked out the pipe, reloaded it, and handed it to him to fire up.

"Yeah, only the best for the home boys. You should have seen the ditch weed these kids in Forks were buying before I hooked up with Sam." Jasper took a hit, and handed me back the pipe.

"You don't have to worry about Dahlke," Jasper said. "I can handle him, and he won't cause any trouble, or he'll be sorry." I took a hit off the pipe, and handed it back to him.

I was quiet as I thought about that. It was kind of scary that Jasper was confident enough that he spoke of making Rich Dahlke sorry if he stepped out of line, but I was good at reading people, and somehow I knew he could back up what he said. It wasn't an idle boast that Jasper was confident he could take on one of the local cops and come out on top. Jasper took a hit and handed me back the pipe.

"You can keep this quiet, Edward, right? This isn't the kind of thing we'd want to have spread around town." I took a hit off the pipe, and handed it back to him, but he held up his hand and shook his head no.

"Yeah, I'm cool with that. If you have something on Dahlke to put him your pocket, that's your own business. I don't spread stories, I just wanted make sure you knew the deal here and weren't in over your head. My sister had a bad experience in foster care and we keep an eye out."

Jasper nodded, letting it go, and changing the subject. "So, what do you guys do for excitement here in Forks?"

"Not much. There's surfing out at the beach. The local kids hang out at the drive-in in town most nights. There's a bowling alley with a couple of lanes and some pool tables. They don't card, if somebody they know vouches for you. If you want to catch a buzz, I can hook you up, or point you in the right direction for harder stuff. You want dancing or an all night party, you need to hit Port Angeles or Seattle."

"'bout what I figured. So that blond chick with the nice ass, she's your girlfriend? You guys serious?"

"Yeah, pretty serious, we've been dating for a little over a year now." I had the feeling that Jasper wasn't really curious, but was asking for information to pass on.

"What about your sister, Alice, does she have a boyfriend?" Now we were getting somewhere. It took him an awful lot of beating around the bush to ask what he was really interested in.

"Alice? No, she's not into guys. Never dated once, since we moved here." His eyes got big, but I was messin' with him.

"She doesn't play for the other team, does she?" Jasper asked, startled

"Nah, I'm messin' with you, dude. She's into you. She thinks you're hot, and wants to get to know you. Shocked me, because she really hasn't dated since we moved here. She'll probably be at the drive-in tonight if you want to say hi."

I was still worried that Jasper was dangerous, more so now that he knew about Dahlke, and wasn't worried about being able to put him in his place, but I knew Alice and she wouldn't stay away. I was good at reading people, and Jasper seemed like a standup guy, despite the scars and his confidence in his ability to control this situation.

"So, you don't mind if I get to know your sister better?" Jasper asked

"Just to set the record straight, you and Bella aren't dating or anything, right?"

"Bella? No, she's like a sister to me. Nothing romantic," Jasper confirmed.

"Ok, no, I don't mind, as long as Alice is happy and you treat her with respect. If you hurt her, then we'll have to talk, but she can handle herself."

"Thank you, Edward. Don't worry; I'd never do anything to hurt Alice. I better leave now, Rich should be home soon, and I have to talk to him about this afternoon. I'll see you around," and Jasper got off of the table and silently melted into the trees and was gone.

I knocked out the pipe and put it away. I put my mirror shades back on and got on the Harley. I put on my helmet, and kicked the engine to life, and got back out onto Calawah Way heading southwest. It was twilight now, and I rode to the drive-in.

Tyler's van was parked in the usual spot, and the Volvo and Jessica's Impala were parked next to it. Michaela's Nissan Sentra and Ben's Eclipse were parked out front. I pulled around and parked the Harley between Tyler's van and the Volvo. I took off my shades and slid them into my pocket and took off my helmet and left it on the bike. I got off the Harley, and walked over to where everyone was hanging out.

Alice and Jessica were sitting at a picnic table talking, and Angela and Ben were sitting listening. I figured Tyler and Lauren were in the van 'making up' from the steamed up windows. Mike was over talking to Michaela and Brittany and some guys from the football team. Alice gave me a sisterly hug, and I sat down at the table.

"Did you eat already?" I asked Alice.

"Yeah, I didn't wait," Alice said. "I didn't know when you'd get here. So, where did you go on your ride?"

"I was worried about what happened with Marilyn Dahlke this afternoon, and went to check out the Dahlke's house."

"Really," Jessica said, her eyes lighting up in anticipation of some juicy gossip. "What did you find out?"

I shrugged. "I hung out in the Park by the house, to see if there was anything going on. Jasper was there, and we talked. He's pretty cool."

"Well what did you talk about," Jessica persisted.

"Guy stuff," and I winked at Alice. "You know, who's hot, who's dating who, what we do for kicks. I told him he should come by tonight and meet people."

"Well, did you ask him?" Jessica whined.

"Ask him what? Sorry, but I'm not into guys, Jess. I thought you would have figured that out by now. Don't you and Katy talk?" I teased her. I knew what she wanted to know, but she had to ask the right question.

"Edward! Is Bella Swan his girlfriend?" Jessica asked, frustrated that I wouldn't give her a straight answer.

I grinned and picked up the phone on the table, and ordered a burger, fries, and a Pepsi, and let her stew for a minute while I was busy talking to the order desk in the drive-in.

"C'mon, Edward! That's not nice!" Jessica whined when I was done ordering.

I took pity on her and ended the suffering. "No, Bella Swan isn't his girlfriend, Jessica. He said she's like a sister to him."

"Huh," Jessica sighed, seeming to deflate. Then she asked, "So what was the deal when they got picked up today then," she asked. "I heard Marilyn Dahlke was drunk off her ass, and nearly ran some kid over in the school parking lot in her new car."

"Why don't you ask him yourself," and nodded my head toward the driveway behind her.

Jessica and Alice turned around, and the red Dodge Charger was pulling into the parking lot of the drive-in. Bella Swan was driving, and Jasper Whitlock was in the passenger seat. Bella pulled around and parked next to Jess's Impala, and I got up to go over and meet them as everyone sat there and stared.

Jasper got out of the car, and was carrying a brown paper sack. I held up my fist and he bumped my knuckles. I slapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Good to see you again, I'm glad you decided to come down. Let me introduce you to my friends."

We went back to the table, and I made the round of introductions. We already knew each others names and faces from school today, but it was more of an ice breaker to have one of our group vouch for them, and invite them to be sociable. Jasper sat down next to me at the picnic table, but Bella hung back a bit, slightly wary, and I thought she seemed shy to meet new people.

The girl from the drive-in brought out my food, and I paid her. Then I turned to Jasper and Bella.

"Are you guy's hungry, can I order you something?" I asked.

"No, thank you. We ate before we came over," Jasper said and I thought I saw the corners of Bella's lips rise in the ghost of a smile, and wondered what the joke was.

Jasper set the brown paper sack on the table, and I could see that it was a bottle. He produced two shot glasses and set them on the table between us, and then picked up the bottle and slid the sack down so I could see the Jack Daniels label.

"You were sociable, this afternoon, welcoming us to town, so I thought I'd return the favor." He cracked the bottle open, breaking the seal and poured a couple of shots.

Jasper and I picked up the shots, and Jasper raised his glass and said, "Salute," and tossed it back.

I picked up my shot and tossed it back and set the shot glass back on the table. I felt the whiskey burn down my throat and settle in my stomach, as the fire burned through me.

Jasper turned to Bella, and asked, "How're ya holding up Bells, you thirsty? Alice how about you, ya game girl?" Jasper asked. I looked at Bella, and she smiled, but her eyes looked darker in the subdued lighting. Jasper glanced at Alice and she nodded, and he poured her a shot. She picked it up and knocked it back and set the glass down.

"Yeah, hit me. I need something to take the edge off," Bella said, and Jasper poured her a shot. She tossed it off, and set the glass down, and I swear her eyes looked lighter when she set the glass back down.

I ate my burger and fries as the shots made the rounds. Jessica took her turn, and Mike came back over when the bottle came out. Tyler and Lauren finally came up for air and joined the party to say hi. I couldn't tell if Bella was just shy, or if something was bothering her, but she kind of hung back from the group, like she smelled something bad.

I got up and threw away my garbage and set my empty basket on top of the trash can. I came back to the table but walked over to talk to Bella. I could feel the attraction between Bella and me, but I kept a friendly distance between us, and she didn't back away. I took out my pipe, loaded the bowl, and fired up. I offered it to Bella, and she nodded with a smile, and took it from me. She took a big hit, we moved closer to the table and she handed the pipe to Jasper as she held the smoke in. I was surprised how long she held it, and then blew the smoke out through her nose.

"Thanks', I needed that," She said.

"Hey, no problem, anything for a friend in need."

"So, where's your girlfriend tonight?" Bella asked.

"Her mom's sick, and she stayed home to keep her company. Katy's dad drives truck for a living, and he's on the road, so she didn't want to leave her home alone."

Alice came over then. "Hey, Bella, so what do you think of Forks so far, are you settling in ok?"

"Sure, Forks is fine. I've always lived in bigger cities, though. It's going to take some time to get used to such a small town."

"You know, I go to Port Angeles a couple of times a week. Maybe you'd like to go with me some time. Edward usually drives with me, but with the cross country season is starting up, he's going to be busy some of the nights I need to run out there."

"That might be fun sometime…" Bella said.

"C'mon, walk with me, I need to go inside for a minute. We can talk," Alice said, taking her by the arm.

"Ok, Alice…"

"So, what are you doing for lunch tomorrow…" and they walked around to the front of the drive-in to go inside.

I hung out by the table with the guys for a while, as people got to know Jasper. He was quiet, but responded questions and was sociable. He got to know people, and didn't seem so distant and dangerous now. Tyler got another pipe out, and dipped into his stash to share with the group, and people were feeling good and relaxing.

I was wondering what Alice was up to when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I got it out and checked the caller ID. It was Katy so I answered the call.

"Hey Katy, how's your mom doing?"

"_Hi, Edward, Mom's fine. She wasn't feeling any better, so she went to bed early. What's up with you?"_

"I'm at the drive-in. Jasper and Bella came down to meet some people, and we were having a little party."

"_That sounds like fun, I'm sorry I missed it."_

"Yeah, it looks like Alice is trying to make friends with Bella, so we'll probably be seeing more of her."

"_That's cool. You know, Edward, mom took her Nyquil and a big dose of her cough medicine with codeine. She's gonna be passed out for like the next twelve hours, and a truck could drive through her room and she wouldn't wake up."_

"Really?"

"_Yeah, I'm kind of lonely over here tonight. Want to come keep me company?"_

"I can be there in five minutes, ok"

"_Cool, I'll be waiting."_

"I'm on my way," and I ended the call.

I collected my pipe, and told everyone good night, and went over to my Harley. Everyone had figured out I was heading over to Katy's, and I had to put up with some cat calls and bawdy advice, but I pulled on my helmet, put on my shades and kicked the engine to life. Bella and Alice were coming back outside when the engine roared to life, and I waved goodbye.

I walked the bike backward out from between the van and the Volvo, and pulled out of the parking lot heading west, and then turned northwest onto Sol Duc Way. I went up a long block and turned left onto the road into Katy's neighborhood. I cruised over to her house on the west side of the tract, and pulled up the driveway and around under the carport in front of the garage. The house was kind of secluded, and right up against the surrounding forest.

I parked the Harley, and took off my helmet and mirror shades as I walked up to the side door into the house. Katy pulled the door open and told me to come in, before I had to knock. I walked in, and set my helmet down on the kitchen table. Katy said hi, and I took off my leather jacket and hung it on the back of a chair at the table.

I turned to look at Katy, and my breath caught in my throat. Her hair was down and loose around her shoulders, instead of her typical pony tail, and she was wearing a loose pink sleep tank top and matching pink boy shorts set.

She stepped over to me and put here arms around my waist as she pressed herself up against me. She inhaled deeply as she laid her head against my chest. And I wrapped my arms around her.

"Mmm, you smell good, and I missed you so much tonight, Edward."

"I thought about you too. You look like you're ready for bed."

"Well, I was lying in bed thinking about you, when I called you."

"Just thinking about me?" and I reached down and took her jaw in my hand. I caressed her chin and ran my thumb over her cheek as I raised her chin to look into her eyes. She blushed a delightful shade of pink.

"Well, maybe not just thinking…" and I bent my head down and kissed her, cutting off her explanation.

I reached down and took her hand and raised it to my nose, and I could smell the scent her juices on her fingers and hand. I pressed her hand to my lips and kissed her palm.

Katy stepped back and took me by the hand, "C'mon," and she pulled me out of the kitchen and through the dining room to the hallway, as she padded through the house in her bare feet.

We went down the hall to her bedroom, and she pulled me inside and closed the door and locked it. The bedside lamp was on, and I could see the pink comforter and lavender sheets of Katy's double bed thrown back where she'd left the covers pushed away when she got up.

Katy stepped away from the door, snaked her arms around my neck and tangled her fingers in my hair as she pressed herself against me, pulling my face down to hers. I wrapped my arms around her, and our lips met as we kissed. Her lips parted and her tongue ran across my lips as she begged for entry. My lips parted and I felt her tongue in my mouth on my teeth and then deeper.

I felt the tug in my stomach again that I come to associate with Bella Swan being nearby, as I kissed Katy and I knew it was crazy. I was holding Katy in my arms, why would I be thinking about Bella Swan?

She broke the kiss and reached down and took my hands and pulled me towards her bed. "C'mon, let's get more comfortable," and the feeling in the pit of my stomach got stronger as we passed her window.

Katy sat on the edge of her bed, and waited as I took off my boots, then I moved in front of her and stood between her legs as she undid my belt. I ran my fingers through her hair and caressed her shoulders as she unsnapped my jeans and pulled down the zipper of my fly.

Her hands gripped my jeans at my waist and pulled them down over my boxers and hips to my knees, and I kicked them off and stepped out of my pants.

I toed off my socks, and then eased Katy back on the bed as I climbed in with her and we lay back on her pillows between her lavender sheets. I could still feel the tug in my stomach but I pushed it to the back of my mind and concentrated on the girl in my arms.

Katy wrapped her arms back around my neck and ran her finger through my hair, lightly scratching my scalp as I rolled towards her halfway covering her and pushed my leg between her thighs.

She pulled my face to hers, and our lips crashed together. I sucked her lower lip between mine, running my tongue across it tasting her, and then my tongue was pushing into her mouth, probing for hers, our tongues met, slick and velvety as they moved against each other in her mouth.

I was resting my weight on my elbow as I held Katy, and I slid my free hand up her stomach under her pink tank top trailing up her ribs to her chest. I found her perky, soft warm breast and gently massaged it with my strong hand as I brushed my thumb over her nipple and I felt it harden under my touch.

Katy moaned against my lips and pressed her breast harder against my palm, as my leg moved against her core between her thighs. I could feel her heat and moisture against my leg as she bucked her hips against me, urging me to press harder against her.

I was startled to hear a ferocious growl rip from the forest outside Katy's window, but I ignored it and didn't skip a beat as I deepened our kiss and played with her nipple.

Katy broke our kiss to catch her breath, and she was breathing hard. I kissed along the line of her jaw to the hollow below her ear and down the column of her neck to her collar bone.

Then Katy placed her hand on my shoulder, pushing me back. I went with it and rolled onto my back, pulling her with me as she moved on top of me and straddled my hips. My cock was hard as steel inside my boxers, and Katy pressed herself up against me rocking her hips to grind her hot core against me.

I had both hands free now, and I took the hem of her tank top and lifted it and pulled it off over her head. I reached for Katy and lay my hands against the hard muscles of her stomach and spread my fingers to feel her as she moved against me, grinding against my hard cock.

I heard another ferocious growl rip through the forest outside Katy's window, and it was kind of hot to think about some wild animal or cougar stalking its prey in the forest outside as I moved my hands on Katy and she ground against my hard cock.

Her body was perfect, lean and athletic from days at the beach swimming and surfing and our running. Her strong muscles moved under her flawless skin as I traced my hands up her body. My thumbs grazed the line up the center of her stomach to the middle of her chest and my hands cupped her breasts.

"God Edward… Your hands feel so good…" She moaned as she pressed against my hands.

Katy arched her back and pressed into my palms, as I moved my thumbs to caress her hard nipples. She leaned forward as she pressed herself into my strong hands and I lowered her to my chest.

I wrapped my arms around her and rolled us over, and knelt between her knees. Katy reached for my shirt and started to pull it up, and I grabbed the hem and pulled it off over my head and dropped it on the floor.

I leaned forward and kissed the hollow at the base of Katy's throat and trailed kisses down to her chest. My mouth moved onto her breast as I sucked her hard nipple between my lips and flicked it with my tongue.

I supported myself above her on my arm, and reached down and ran my free hand under the elastic band of her shorts, and down between her legs. I could feel how hot and wet she was and I stroked between her legs as she bucked against my hand.

"God Katy… you're so wet…" I moaned as I stroked her.

I trailed kisses down the center of her chest to her stomach and Katy gasped as my finger pressed into her moist heat and I circled her clit with my fingertip.

"Do you like that?" I asked as her hips bucked against my hand begging for more.

"God yes… More please… God! Don't stop now!" She whined as I pulled my hand out of her shorts.

I scooted back down the bed, and reached for the hem of her boy shorts, and Katy lifted her hips as I tugged them down and pulled them off, dropping them on the floor.

I reached for Katy's thighs with my strong hands and spread her legs as I leaned forward and kissed her between her legs. My tongue snaked out and pressed into her hot wet sex and I tasted her hot arousal. I reached forward and spread her lips open with my fingers as I licked her. I ran my tongue up her pussy to the top and flicked my tongue against her clit, and she bucked against me.

"Oh baby…So good…" Katy panted.

"God, that's fucking amazing… Oh, don't stop…"

There was a ferocious growl outside Katy's window and it sounded too close to be in the forest as I kissed her pussy and buried my tongue in her. The tug in my stomach seemed to be stronger, but then it started to ease off again as I concentrated on giving Katy pleasure.

I moved back down to her opening, and thrust my tongue deeply inside her as my nose pressed against her clit. Katy reached down and tangled her fingers in my hair, holding my head against her as I thrust my tongue into her and licked and sucked her hot pussy.

"Oh yesss…Right there…" Katy moaned.

Oh god… Edward…Harder! Yes…"

I moved back up to suck her aroused clit between my lips, and my hand moved to her opening stroking her to wet my fingers. I pressed two fingers into her and started to rhythmically stroke in and out of her as I focused on her clit with my tongue.

"Oh My God!!! Fuck…Edward! Oh god…Edward…"

"God…I'm almost there! Right there…Shit…Edward…"

Katy was pressing my head hard against her pussy as she panted and moaned my name. She bucked against me, but I held her pressed down against the mattress as I licked her and stroked my fingers into her hot wet core.

"Edward I'm gonna… Baby I'm almost there…"

"Edward! Oh god…I'm there!"

I felt a gush of wetness and her muscles clenched hard around my fingers as her clit throbbed and pulsed under my tongue. I held my tongue still but kept the pressure firm against her as her legs clamped around my head and her climax jolted through her.

An anguished roar ripped through the forest outside as Katy came hard and the tug in my stomach started to intensify again. I was a little distracted wondering if it was safe here for Katy and her mom by themselves, and I might need to call the police and warn then about a wild animal.

Katy's orgasm washed over her and carried her away, and I stroked in and out of her a couple more times. Her legs relaxed around my head as she started to come back, and I moved back up the bed and pulled her into my arms and held her until her ragged breath settled down.

I reached out and took her jaw in my hand and tilted her face up to mine and kissed her again, gently, but she wanted more and her tongue moved across my lips licking and probing and I opened my mouth to her kiss. She pushed her tongue into my mouth and our kiss deepened and became heated and passionate.

I felt her hands on the waist of my boxers, tugging them down and I lifted my hip to let her pull them down off my hips. I worked them down past my knee and kicked them off as Katy reached for my cock.

She wrapped her hand around my cock, stroking up and down my length. I felt her other hand dip between her legs, and then she was rubbing her own wetness on the head of my cock for lubrication as her hand stroked around the head on my dick and she ran her finger across the opening in the tip.

'God Katy… That's good… Oh god… Katy…" I moaned as she stroked my hard cock.

"Do you like that?" She asked with a wicked grin.

"God yes… God that's fucking great…

"Do you want me to make you come?" She teased.

The tug in my stomach was strong now, and another ferocious growl ripped from the forest outside Katy's window as she touched me and stroked my hard cock, but I was too busy to worry about some beast out in the yard right now as Katy worked her hands up and down my cock.

"Not yet, you vixen! I have plans for you to night…"

I wasn't going to last long with this kind of attention, and I pressed her shoulder back against the mattress and moved between her legs. Katy gasped and bit her lower lip between her teeth as I moved over her, but she raised her legs around my thighs.

"Tell me you want me to fuck you!" I ordered her.

I reached down and took my cock in my hand and stroked up her pussy between her hot wet lips with my cock and ground the head against her clit. She moaned my name, and I stroked up and down a few more times, as she bucked against me, coating myself with her slippery wetness.

"Oh my god… Baby please… Edward fuck me! I need you inside… Please…" She begged me.

I moved the head of my cock to her opening, and started to push into her, and Katy gasped as she wrapped her legs around me pulling me inside.

"Oh God Yes…Oh my god… Fuck me!" She moaned as my hard cock sank deep into her wet heat.

The ferocious growling outside Katy's window got louder as I pushed my cock into her, and I thought I heard something slam against the wall, but I was too preoccupied to worry about it as I thrust into Katy. The tug in my stomach was as strong now as when I had been standing next to Bella at the drive-in tonight but I pushed the thought out of head.

She was hot and wet, and her pussy gripped my cock as I thrust deeply into her until I was buried to the hilt inside her slick heat. My pubic bone was pressing against her clit, and then I set up a rhythm as I started to move inside of her lifting my hips to rock back into her.

"God Katy… you're so tight… So good…" I groaned as I started to move deep inside her.

"Oh god… Oh god… Edward fuck me!" She moaned as I thrust into her hot pussy.

I pulled back and rocked my hips forward thrusting into her slick wet heat, moving faster as she held me with her legs and our bodies moved together. Katy rocked her hips to meet my thrusts, and we crashed together as our bodies moved to the rhythm of our love making.

"Oh god… Edward Harder! Baby… Fuck me… Fuck me hard!" Katy groaned.

I rested my weight on my elbows as I pressed my body against hers and I hammered into her, thrusting hard and fast with her legs wrapped around my waist and her hands moved on my back as she pulled me to her.

God… Edward… I'm gonna… Baby I'm almost there!" she moaned getting louder as she got closer to the edge.

Katy moaned loud, and she pressed her mouth against my shoulder to muffle her cries as I felt her nails dig into my back as her pussy clenched hard around my solid cock and her legs gripped me tight as her orgasm carried her away.

The tug in my stomach was strong but it started slack off as though it was moving away as it played at the edge of my awareness.

"Uhnn… Uhnn… God… Kayt! I'm gonna… Uhnn… I'm almost there…" I panted as I plunged into her pussy!

I was on the edge, and began thrusting more urgently as I felt the tingling at the base of my cock in my balls and I knew I was going to come. I thrust hard a couple more times and then buried myself to the hilt inside her hot throbbing pussy as I shot my come deep inside Katy. The orgasm ripped through me and I felt my dick pulse as my hot juice flooded into her.

An anguished roar ripped through the forest outside as I came hard and shot my load into Katy's tight hot pussy. It was louder and more ferocious, like an injured jungle cat moving away to lick its wounds, and I heard a crash in the trees outside.

Katy held me tight as our orgasms flashed through us, and then we started to come back to our selves. I held her face and kissed her while we were still joined together and she caressed my shoulders as she held me against her.

The tug in my stomach was gone now, and had been replaced by the dull ache in my chest, but I ignored it as I held Katy.

After a minute, I pulled out slowly and rolled off of her pulling her into my arms. I reached over and pulled the covers over us and we held each other basking in the after glow, just enjoying the feel of our bodies pressed together in her bed.

*****

I woke up to the sound of Katy's cell phone ring tone on her nightstand, and I looked at her clock radio. It was late, and Carlisle would be pissed off if I wasn't home soon. I shook Katy's shoulder and she groaned slightly as she woke up, but she reached for the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Ok, Alice, I'll let him know."

"Thank you, 'see you in the morning."

"That was your sister, she says to get your ass out of my bed and drag it home right now, or your dad is going to be pissed off for you coming in so late on a school night," and she set the phone back down on the nightstand.

I reached for her and kissed her again and she moaned against my lips. Then I broke the kiss and started to get up.

"I wish you didn't have to leave," Katy said.

"So do I," I told her as I gathered my clothes and started to get dressed.

Katy got up and put on a light pink robe that was hanging on the back of the door. I was dressed and pulled on my boots and she unlocked the door and held my hand as we walked back to the kitchen.

I could hear her mom snoring softly, down the hall, and I was surprised she hadn't woken up from all the commotion out in the yard earlier, but then we hadn't let it interrupt us either. I was glad she'd slept through it and hadn't caught me in Katy's room. She liked me, and thought I was good for Katy, but that only went so far, and she'd still be pissed off at me if she caught us together like that.

I pulled Katy into my arms and kissed her again at the kitchen door.

"Good night, Katy, I love you," I told her.

"I love you, Edward, I'll see you in the morning," Katy said, and then I picked up my helmet and went out the door.

I was still kind of freaked out from all the noises I'd heard outside the house when we were in bed together earlier. Logically, I knew the creature was probably long gone, and if it was still around, it would probably run from me. The full moon had risen high in the night sky, and there was enough light to see, so I walked around to the back of the house by Katy's window, and I was surprised how much of her room and bed I could see, even with her curtains closed.

I looked down, and there were footprints in the soft dirt of the flowerbed under the window, but they weren't animal tracks. They looked like a girl's high-heeled boot print, and I wondered who the fuck was spying on us.

I remembered hearing a noise that sounded like something slamming against the wall, and sure enough, there was a mark on the siding under the window. I looked closer and the board was cracked and splintered, but it looked like a mark from a fist. It was too small to be a man's fist, and I'd watched Alice break boards before, but even Alice knew better than to punch a wall. It would break her hand, but the board looked pulverized and splintered with the clear marks of knuckles in it.

The clouds cleared for a second, and I saw something on the ground under the window glint in the moonlight. I reached down and picked it up and held it up to the moonlight to take a look at it. I'd seen it before, this afternoon in fact.

It was part of a ring with the design a family crest, quartered silver and gold in the shape of a shield with two crossed swords with the points of the swords pointing up, a closed fist between the points of the swords, and three green shamrocks in a row across the bottom.

I slipped it into my pocket and scrapped away the marks of the footprints with my boot. I walked back to the carport and rolled my Harley down to the street before I started it and rode out of Katy's neighborhood and cruised home. I had a lot on my mind, and Bella Swan had a lot of questions to answer.

**Author's Notes: Alternate Universe Changes for The Mating Dance**

**Alcohol and Drug use Note:**

In this alternate universe, drugs and alcohol have a different effect on vampires. Vampires are able to consume and metabolize liquid beverages and drugs. The vampire's metabolisms are much faster than a humans and alcohol and drugs burn out of their system much faster and have a significantly lesser effect on vampires than humans.

While large quantities of alcohol can intoxicate a vampire, smaller social drinking amounts simply deaden the bloodlust, allowing them to socialize with humans. This affect is apparent from the relative darkness of the vampire's eye color, which can be viewed as an indicator of their relative bloodlust. The use of Alcohol allows vampires in a social setting to feed on humans without losing control to the bloodlust and killing the human. This also allows intimate relations with relative safety for the human partner.

Tobacco and marijuana will temporarily relieve the burn of the bloodlust in the vampire's throat to a significant but lesser degree than human blood. Marijuana has a much greater medicinal effect to relieve the burn than tobacco, in addition to the normal effects. Other recreational drugs have a similar effect to humans, but with reduced effect and duration and extremely limited potential for mild addiction because of the accelerated metabolism.


	3. My New Best Friend

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **APOV (Alice), Alice's turn, but Edward will continue the story in the next chapter. Bella may have a say later on as well.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

**Warning: **This Chapter contains graphic descriptions of emotionally traumatic events in the lives of the characters. If you would prefer not to be exposed to this, don't read the story, or skip down to the row of asterisks after they go to the bar.

Photos have been posted in my profile. I'll add some more as they become relevant to the chapters.

Notes on specific changes relevant to this Alternate Universe are available at the end of this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 3 My new best friend

APOV (Alice)

My brother, Edward Cullen was an idiot. I'd warned him that this was going to happen, and he still went ahead and made all the selfish mistakes that were going to screw up everybody's lives. I loved Katy as a friend, but I knew from the minute that we met her that it wasn't meant to be when Edward fell for her. He had fallen for her so hard, and I knew they were both going to be hurt when it ended, but nobody ever wants to believe the fortune teller when they have bad news.

Bella Swan had started at Forks high school yesterday, and I could feel that she was the girl I had seen in Edward's future, but he'd had to go and complicate everything by falling in love with Katy when we first moved to Forks. I knew there was going to be a lot of pain and hurt feelings before everything was all said and done, but I still hadn't seen a clear resolution to all of this yet, and we still had a long road ahead of us.

I knew Bella Swan was going to be my best friend. I felt in my heart that someday we'd be sisters, and I wasn't going to wait around for Edward to get his shit together before I started to make friends with her.

Everything had been going so great tonight at the drive-in. Edward had gone over and met Jasper, and I was grateful for him doing that. Bella and Jasper had come to the drive-in to get to know people, and we'd partied some with them. I was talking to Bella, getting to know her. I liked her, but I was waiting for Jasper to make a move, when Edward went and screwed things up again. At least I'd been able to invite her to lunch before everything blew up.

I guess Katy had called him, and he left to go over to her house. Bella had made an excuse and wanted to leave. She was pissed off about something, and had started to argue with Jasper. She wanted to leave, and I think she really wanted to follow Edward, but jasper wanted to stay so she wouldn't and was trying to reason with her to calm her down. Bella had stormed off saying she'd walk, and Jasper had apologized, and left to follow her in their car. I don't think anybody else figured out what was going on, but I knew.

The night was pretty much over by then. The drive-in would be closing soon anyhow, and I still hadn't had a chance to talk to Jasper alone. Nobody had figured out what had upset Bella, but I knew she was upset that Edward had gone to visit Katy. She had it bad for Edward, and it was tearing her up inside to see him with Katy. I told everyone good night, and got in the Volvo and drove home.

Carlisle was still up, watching TV when I came in. He'd been working long hours this last year, getting his clinic established. He'd adjusted his schedule so he'd be available to his customers in the afternoon and evenings. It made it convenient for his clients so they didn't have to take time off work to make appointments, but it cut into our family time together because he was at the clinic when we came home from school, and we rarely had family dinners together anymore. We ate out more often than we ate at home, but it was a part of trying to get a new business going.

"Hi dad, how was the clinic today?" I asked as I walked in from the garage.

Carlisle got up and gave me a hug. "It was a good day. I had a couple of new clients."

"That's good. So, have you eaten? I can fix you something if you're hungry."

"No, Alice, I'm good. I ate at the coffee shop on my way home. So, how was the first day of school?"

"It was ok. About normal as first days go. There were two new kids starting school today. They're in the same grade as Edward and me. They came by the drive-in to hang out tonight, and they seem really nice."

"I heard there were some new kids starting school today, but I haven't heard about any new families moving into town. Who are their parents, are they living in town too?"

"No, Bella Swan and Jasper Whitlock are foster kids. They're living with the family of one of the guy's on the Forks police department."

"That was nice of him to take them in. It takes a lot of patience to live with teenagers," Carlisle said with a smile, to let me know he was kidding.

"Yes, I'm sure it takes the patience of Job to put up with a couple of teenagers," I deadpanned.

"Speaking of which, where is your brother?" Carlisle asked. "I need his help with one of my new clients."

It irked Carlisle that he had to turn to Edward for help to treat some of his patients. Washington was one of fifteen States that had decriminalized medical marijuana, but its law was different from California. He hated the fact that he had to buy street drugs to treat a patient's condition, because Washington didn't have a registry system or allow dispensary clinics like California.

Carlisle had been able to provide medical marijuana to his patients that were registered with the state, before we had moved, and could legally own and sell medical marijuana to his patients if they had a legitimate need for it. In Washington, the patient could legally posses a sixty day supply, and could cultivate up to 15 plants, but most of the patients that needed it the most didn't have the time or ability to grow medical grade marijuana.

Edward had a way with people, and he was good at making friends and knowing who to trust and who to keep his mouth shut around. He was always well connected, and could get the medical grade marijuana that Carlisle needed for his patient.

Carlisle was pretty cool about this kind of thing as far as parents went and had a pretty laid back attitude. He had done his research, and provided medical marijuana to his patients. He knew that pot was about like beer or liquor, as far as recreational drugs went. His basic rule was don't get caught, and don't let it interfere with the rest of your life. Beyond that we were pretty much free to enjoy whatever we wanted to. Of course, if we did get caught, then we were breaking the law and would have to pay the consequences. It was up to us not to be stupid enough to get caught.

Carlisle had asked me where Edward was. Hmm, let me see… Oh, yeah dad, he snuck into his girlfriend's bedroom while her dad's out of town so they could fuck like rabbits… no, maybe not. "I think he's out with Katy. He should be home in a while." Unless he fell asleep in her bed when he was done fucking her.

"Well, he better get home soon. This is a school night, and you both have a curfew again."

"Umm, I'm home, dad."

"I know, Alice, Edward can try my patience at times, but I love you both."

"I love you too, dad. I'm gonna head upstairs and read before I go to bed. See you in the morning," I said as I headed for the stairs. He assumed I'd meant a book, but I had other things to read.

"Ok, good night, Alice," Carlisle said as he sat back down and I went upstairs.

I went up to my room, but I was too keyed up to relax and read my novel for school right now. I hadn't let on to dad, but this hadn't been an ordinary first day of school. Today I had seen Jasper Whitlock for the first time, and I knew the second that I looked into his eyes that he was the man I'd seen in my future. He was the one I was waiting for, the one who would change my life, make me happy, and love me more than his own life. He was my soul mate, and now he was avoiding me, because Edward had screwed things up.

Of course I couldn't tell Edward that, it would just make things worse if he tried to fix it now. Events had to play out. I had to be patient, and I hated being patient. I had read the signs, and I knew what was coming. Jasper was going to avoid me until the issue with Bella was settled, and she was going to avoid Edward, if she could as long as Katy was in the picture. She didn't want to be the "other woman" and come between them, but we all knew there was some kind of connection between us.

I could see that Bella was joined to Edward, and I could feel my connection to Jasper. Katy was the odd woman out, and I felt sorry for her, but she was the only one with a chance to move on and live a normal life. I couldn't talk to Edward about this, but Bella and I were going to be friends anyhow, so my only option was to get to know Bella better and make her my friend now. If she was in the picture, it would force the issue between Edward and Katy, and the relationship issues would progress.

I changed into my pajamas, and sat down cross-legged on the floor to mediate. I controlled my breathing, letting it center me as I cleared my mind and let the worries of the day go. I reached for the cards absentmindedly, without thought and automatically shuffled and spread the cards in front of me. Random thought, images, snippets of conversation flowed through my awareness but I didn't try to understand it or analyze it, I let it flow as it carried me along. My awareness of the reality of my room, the house, Forks drifted away. Other realities replaced it and I let my consciousness experience the possible and the impossible, what would be, and what might be as I drifted away.

I had read about tarot card reading, and from the descriptions, that wasn't what I was doing. I'd read about how the cards were supposed to have certain meanings, and by casting patterns and studying the cards, you were supposed to be able to make predictions about the future or tell peoples fortunes by interpreting the cards, kind of like how some people analyzed the symbolism of dreams or read the future in the patterns of tea leaves. That wasn't what I did. Maybe the meanings of the cards had been associated with the predictions from people like me, to decide what the cards meant, but they were just a device, a prop that got my mind in tune to let me reach another awareness of another level of reality. I didn't 'read the cards', I just knew things sometimes when I came back to myself.

The cards were good for helping me to meditate and get a broad general sense of the future and what I needed to do, but I didn't always get a lot of detail. Sometimes more, sometimes less. The cards freaked out Edward and my dad enough. Let me at an Ouija board, and I could scare them shitless. Now that gave me good short term details, but as much as people said they wanted to know the future, people really just wanted you to tell them good news. Nobody wanted to hear the bad news, but this was the real world we were living in, not some fairy tale where people lived happily ever after.

Time had passed and it was later when I came back to the room where I was sitting on the floor. Edward was going to be late, and Carlisle would be angry, but I could stop that much from happening. I picked up my phone and speed dialed Katy's cell. The phone rang for a while, but I'd seen her answer it.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, Katy, Tell Edward to get his ass out of your bed and drag it home right now, or our dad is going to be pissed off at him for coming in so late on a school night."

"_Ok, Alice, I'll let him know."_

"Now go back to sleep, I'll see you in the morning, when we go for our run before school."

"_Thank you, 'see you in the morning."_

Well, that should get Edward home on time, and keep dad off his back. I wondered why he was going to be mad at Bella. I'd worry about that later, and I picked up the cards as my awareness drifted back out of the room.

Edward was tiptoeing down the hall again, carrying his boots, trying to sneak into his room. I waited until he had his hand on the doorknob.

"Edward," I knew he heard me, and I heard him sigh as he turned away from the door and came into my room. I spread the cards in front of me, and enough of my awareness was back in the room to carry on a conversation.

"Hey, Alice, any news from the other side, Is Elvis in there with you, or is he really just hiding out living a normal life somewhere?

"Carlisle needs your help with another new client. I don't see any problems; he has glaucoma, and isn't having luck with other medications, so Dr. Gerandy sent him to Carlisle." I shuffled the cards, cut the deck, and cut each half one handed again before I shuffled them back together.

"No problem, but I'll need to meet him first, before I vouch for him. I have my own ways of knowing who to trust."

"I know, just thought I'd give you the heads up." I cast another pattern in front of me as I danced at the edge of awareness of the room and Edward.

"Ok, well I'm going to shower and hit the sack." Edward said, anxious to leave the room.

"Edward, are you going to tell me about your night?" He wouldn't, but I had to ask.

"Alice, you know I don't kiss and tell."

"You were doing more than just kissing, but I don't need the details of your love life. I meant the rest of the night and what has you upset."

"I'm sorry Alice; I need to handle this in my own way"

"I know, I've seen it. Edward, please don't be too hard on her. She's been hurt, and she's only just finding her confidence again…"

"Alice, why do you always ask me to do things I don't want to do?"

"Because I'm your sister and I love you. You feel the connection. It's harder for her than it is for you. She feels it stronger than you do."

"Good night, Alice. I'll see you in the morning," and he walked out of the room and shut the door.

The seed was planted. I wondered how long it would take to grow, and what fruit it would bear. I yawned, and got up and went to bed.

*****

The next day at school, I could tell that Edward was angry with Bella. He glared at her during AP English, but he didn't approach her to confront her with whatever was bothering him. I was pretty sure that it was Jasper's presence that stopped him from talking to her. It wasn't that he was afraid of Jasper; he wanted to talk to her alone, and keep the conversation private. I knew he was waiting for AP chemistry in sixth period, after lunch. At least I'd have an opportunity to warn her during lunch so she'd be prepared for whatever it was that had him so upset with her.

I noticed that Edward seemed to be staring at her hand, and it dawned on me that the ring she'd been wearing was gone. Today she was wearing a necklace with a pendant that bore the same family crest design that she'd worn on her ring, yesterday. It seemed like a nice enough necklace, but he kept staring back at her hand, like he expected something to be wrong with it.

I was waiting for Bella as she walked out of the main school building toward the cafeteria with Jasper. I hooked my arm in hers and deftly turned her toward the parking lot before she could react. Her arm was hard and cold, and she was stronger than she looked, but I'd had a lot of practice moving people and redirecting their momentum, and she turned away from the cafeteria.

"Hi, Bella, I'm sure you remembered we were doing lunch today, my treat." She didn't, and was startled, but she kept moving as I steered her away toward the parking lot and fell into step next to her. "Don't worry, Jasper, I'll take good care of her. We'll be back in time for sixth period." I had a feeling we wouldn't, but she could call him later and let him know.

"Am I being kidnapped, Alice?" Bella asked, and I thought I saw the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"If you like, we need to talk, and the cafeteria has too many ears for my liking."

"Well, where are we going, I'm a picky eater? They might not have anything I like," Bella told me.

"You don't have to pretend to eat if you don't want to. I just want us to get to know each other better."

We were almost to the car, and I didn't know why I said that, but it had felt like the right thing to say. Something was rattling around in my subconscious, and I hadn't put all the pieces together yet, but it would come to me. It worked like that a lot. Something would surface and I'd make a cryptic remark I didn't understand. People would react to it, and more pieces would fall into place.

I felt Bella stiffen for a second, but she kept walking, and we were almost to the Volvo, when Bella turned and gave me an appraising look for a second, like she was wondering how much I knew about something.

Then she said, "well, if you're buying lunch, at least let me drive."

I nodded, "Ok, lead on," and we walked to the red Dodge Charger that she'd driven to school this morning.

I opened the passenger door got in the car. She got in started the car, and drove us to the exit of the school parking lot.

"Ok, Alice, where are we headed," she asked.

I pointed down the street, "Head south, to East E street," and she turned south onto Spartan Avenue.

We drove down to East E Street, and I pointed to the driveway of the bowling alley and we pulled into the parking lot. The bowling alley was closed now, and wouldn't open until 3:00, but I had to stop by today anyway.

"Pull around back to the employee entrance," and she drove us around to the back and parked by a door in the back of the building by a dumpster. There was a sign that said 'employee's only'. I got out of the car.

"C'mon, I need to make delivery, and we can stay for lunch."

Bella got out of the car and we walked to the door. I knocked, and Matt Groh opened the door, and invited us in. We walked into the kitchen, and Bella wrinkled her nose like she smelled something bad. Matt ran a pretty clean kitchen, and I wondered what bothered her about it. It looked like Matt was doing prep work for the evening crowd. Normally I'd deal with Matt here, but I kept walking until we got out into the bar, and Bella relaxed.

"So, Alice, the usual, right?" Matt said, eyeing Bella warily.

"Yeah, Matt, don't worry about Bella, she's cool," and I reached into my purse and took out four baggies of high grade pot and laid them on the bar.

"Thanks' Alice," Matt said, he laid a stack of twenty dollar bills on the counter and made the baggies disappear. I picked up the money and counted out the $200, and put it in my purse.

"Hey, Matt, you don't mind if we stay for lunch, do you?" I asked.

"No problem, Alice. What can I get you?" Matt said as he headed back to the kitchen.

"I'll have a cheese burger, and some onion rings if you have the fryer going. Bella, want anything?"

She reached into her purse and produced a flask and held it up, "Liquid diet," and grinned at me.

"Save it for later, lunch is on me," I told her. "Matt, get us a couple of shots of Patrón with that burger," I called into the kitchen.

"Sure, Alice, isn't it a little early in the day for you?" Matt called back, and I could tell he was busy in the kitchen.

"Long day, I can handle it. We're gonna go sit down."

We walked to the other side of the lounge and sat down at a semi-circular booth in the corner where we had a view of the kitchen but were far enough away to talk privately. It was meant for a larger group, but the slight distance seemed to make Bella more comfortable as we sat down opposite each other at the open ends of the built-in upholstered bench seat.

"It's not what you think, Bella. I'm not a drug dealer. Well, maybe I am in the strict sense of the word. Matt's mom is one of my dad's patients. She has cancer, and he's treating her for the pain. The pot helps with the nausea caused by the chemo. She's a qualifying patient for medical marijuana, and my dad is her designated primary caregiver. It's legal for her to possess up to 24 ounces, it's just not strictly legal for me to deliver it or accept their payment."

"No problem, either way. Hey, you didn't happen to save any for us, did you?" she asked.

"Sorry, I don't smoke during school. Carlisle, my dad is cool about it, but he says it's up to us, to not be stupid enough to get caught. Besides, Matt would freak out."

"Yeah, I see your point." She sighed, and reached for her purse. She took out a pack of Marlboro 100 gold, and flipped open the top of the hard pack and took out a cigarette. She held it between her lips as she offered the pack to me. I shook my head no, and she dropped the pack of cigarettes back in her purse and got out a lighter and lit the cigarette.

"You know those things will kill you," I said as I slid the ashtray across in front of her.

"I wish," she muttered, and chuckled like she thought it was funny.

"So how are you holding up with the Dahlke's," I asked as Bella smoked her cigarette

"They're ok, I've been through worse. I'll survive." She flicked the ashes into the ash try and took another drag on the cigarette.

"I'm not just being nosy, or curious, Bella. I was in foster care, before Carlisle and Elizabeth adopted me. I know about Rich Dahlke, and he's into a lot of illegal shit. He's not the type to volunteer as a foster parent, unless he's working some kind of scam. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

We heard the swinging door from the kitchen and looked up, and Matt walked across the room with a tray. He set my burger and onion rings in front of me, and then set down shot glasses and a little bowl with cut lime wedges. He poured us two shots of Patrón, and turned to leave.

"Hey, Matt, leave the bottle," Bella said.

He looked at her, then over at me, and I nodded. He set it back down on the table, and walked back to the kitchen, muttering and shaking his head.

Bella reached over and picked up her shot and tossed it back. She didn't bother with the salt or lime, and seemed to savor it as she leaned back and closed her eyes. She took a big drag on the cigarette, and then blew out the smoke.

"This is comfortable," she sighed. "A girl could get used to this." She opened her eyes, and they were a noticeably lighter shade than the dark gold color they were when we came in.

"Yeah, Rich Dahlke is an ass," she continued, "but he isn't going to try anything. Not if he wants to keep breathing. Jasper said that Edward told him you'd had a bad experience in foster care, and you were looking out for us. Thank you, that means a lot to me."

I reached over and picked up my shot and tossed it back. Most people thought you needed the salt to cut down on the burn, and the sour taste of the lime wedge to balance and enhance the flavor, but Patrón was the good stuff, there was little burn and the flavor was meant to be savored. I set the shot glass down and closed my eyes as the warmth spread through me.

"I didn't have a happy childhood, Bella. Actually I've blocked most of it out, and don't want to remember it. Child Protective Services took me away from my parents when I was eight. I'd been in and out of the hospital so many times; the doctors got suspicious and ran tests. The guy my mom was married to was… touching me… The State got me out of that hell."

I was shaking as I thought about it. Bella scooted around on the bench until she was next to me, and held me to comfort me. She poured us each another shot. I picked it up and downed it.

"I remember parts of my life when I was little, only they're all the bad parts," Bella said as she crushed out her cigarette butt in the ashtray. "I was living in Phoenix, with my mom."

She was quiet for a minute with a faraway look in her eye as though she was remembering something painful. She reached down and fingered the shot glass, running her finger around the rim, and then went on.

"Mom got remarried, and I remember thinking, 'great, now we'll have someone to take care of us'." And she laughed a harsh mocking laugh. "I was twelve, a week before my thirteenth birthday, when he came in my room and got into my bed with me. I was asleep, and didn't know why he was there. I screamed when he lifted up my nightgown and put his hand inside my panties."

She tossed back the shot of Patrón, and then got another cigarette out of her purse and lit it. Her hand shook as she held the cigarette, and I thought she was going to lose it before she took another drag and continued.

"Mom didn't come into the room until he was done, and then she just took him back to her room to fuck him. She wouldn't look at me. I never heard her say anything to him about it. I never talked to her again, but the bastard kept coming back to my room."

"I was on a plane to Seattle the week after my birthday and nobody ever said anything about what was happening. I guess mom thought I'd be safer living with my dad, or maybe she just sent me away so she could have the son of a bitch to herself," she laughed the harsh mocking laugh again, but she looked like she was ready to cry.

I put my am around her, and pulled her head to my shoulder as the dry wracking sobs tore through her, but she didn't cry. I took the cigarette from her fingers, and set it in the ashtray, and held her and rubbed her shoulders. She was cold and hard, and her hand was ice cold when I took her cigarette so she wouldn't drop it, but I ignored it and just held her.

"Shh, Bella, It's alright now… it's over… You can let it go, dear… I understand, just let it out…" I murmured to her as I held her and let her vent.

"How can you understand! That bastard didn't just 'touch me'! He made me…"

"Shh, I understand. I know."

"How can you know what I went through?" She was calmer now, but sounded slightly mad as she reached for her cigarette.

I could feel that the anger wasn't directed at me, but her past and the things she'd had to experience. I felt compelled to share with her, and told her more about myself.

"It happened to me too, I know. I was in and out of different foster homes after the State took me away from my parents. I'm sure some of the people really cared about me, but I was too messed up at first to notice. I was ten when I thought I'd finally found a home. Cindy and Jack were really great, and talked about adopting me."

"Their son Derek didn't like the idea. He was fifteen, and was supposed to walk me home from school. He said we were going to take a shortcut, but we went to the dugout at the baseball field. His friends were waiting for us. There were three of them."

I was shaking again, as I relived the memory. It was painful, but I went on.

"He held his hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream as they joked and took off my pants. Then he held my arms over my head as they took turns."

Bella held me as I shook, and the tears ran down my cheeks. I hadn't realized I was crying until I felt the tears drip off my cheek onto my hand.

"One of the janitors at the school saw them and called the police. I never saw Cindy and Jack again."

I hadn't even noticed Bella pour, but she put another shot in my hand, and I downed it. I had a feeling we weren't going to make it back to school today.

"Carlisle and Elizabeth took me in soon after I got out of the hospital. Elizabeth would sit up with me at night, when I'd wake up screaming. She got me signed up for self-defense classes for therapy, because I didn't want to be a victim anymore. The whole family helped me to heal, and Carlisle and Elizabeth adopted me. Elizabeth died of cancer, almost two years ago, but we were a family by then. Now it's just me and Carlisle and Edward."

I saw Bella pour herself another shot and toss it back, but it didn't seem to be having any effect on her that I could see, except her eyes seemed lighter. She took a final drag off the butt between her fingers, and crushed it out in the ashtray. I'd had three shots now, and I was feeling the effect, but it helped with the pain. I was going to have to take a rain check on Chemistry and US History, but we needed this time together.

"You were lucky, Alice. Lucky to find a family to love you and take care of you, I didn't get lucky, my mom sent me to live with my dad. I hadn't seen my dad since I was five and that was at a court hearing, because my mom was suing him for back child support. I got off the plane in Seattle, and I could smell the liquor on his breath as he glared at me and dragged me out to his car. He got mean when he was drinking, and he drank a lot."

"He was pissed off because his girlfriend left him when I came to live with him. He found plenty of other things to be pissed off about after that. He never tried to get into my pants, but I was his own personal punching bag for the next two years. I got a black eye for moving in with him and a broken arm for my fourteenth birthday. The doctors at the emergency room got to know me, I was there so much. Dad told them I was clumsy and fell down a lot. That happens when you keep running into a fist."

"When I was fifteen, he bought me a dress, and said we were going to a party. I thought things were going to change, but he got me a drink when we got there, and went into another room to go talk to some guy. I tripped and spilled the drink, because I wasn't used to heels then. I went to go look for a towel to clean it up, and opened a door in the hallway, looking for the bathroom."

She stopped again, and got out another cigarette and lit it. She didn't seem so torn up now, but more angry and her hands shook as she lit her cigarette and blew out the smoke. It seemed to calm her, and then she went on.

"It wasn't the bathroom, it was a bedroom, and there was a naked girl passed out on the bed, drugged unconscious. Some guy was raping her, and another guy was videotaping them. That's when I realized that the drink I'd spilled was probably drugged too, and my turn was next. I heard my dad yelling for me from the other room, but I ran the other way down the hall, and climbed out a window, I ran like hell and never looked back. I was surprised I escaped. I got away, but from then on, I was on my own with nowhere to go."

"Why didn't you go to the police?" I asked. She flicked her ashes in the ashtray and took another drag off the cigarette before she answered but I could see her eyes darkening as the hurt and anger flashed across her face.

"They were the police. My dad was a cop, and even if those other low life scum weren't, my dad was protecting them and not me. The other cops wouldn't have listened to me; they would have sent me back to him. The cops weren't going to believe his troublemaker daughter, not after all the bullshit he'd been feeding them for two years about all the trouble I caused."

"Oh…" I didn't know what to say to that. It was bad enough being betrayed by the people that were supposed to take care of you, but what could you do when you were out of options and had no where to turn? I shivered just thinking about it.

She poured another shot and tossed it back as she leaned back against the booth and closed her eyes again. Her eyes were lighter when she opened them and leaned forward to flick her ashes in the ashtray and took another drag before she went on, talking quietly.

"Things were really bad for a while. I'd missed so much school being in and out of the hospital, and my dad keeping me home so people wouldn't see the bruises, I didn't know anyone or have any friends to turn to. I couldn't go home and I couldn't go to the police. I knew what happened to runaway girls on their own, and what they had to do to survive, but I wasn't going to start turning tricks, or I might as well have stayed at that house and let them rape me again. I was homeless, living on the streets, sleeping in alleys, eating out of dumpsters when I could find scraps from restaurants."

"I had to steal some clothes from a goodwill donation trailer to replace the rags of my dress. I shoplifted some shoes because I'd kicked off the high heels I was wearing when I ran away to escape, but I couldn't live on the street in my bare feet. I almost got caught stealing the shoes, and I knew they'd send me back to my dad if I was arrested, so I didn't try to steal again. I'd been on my own for months and I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a shower or a bath. The soles of my shoes were almost worn through, the weather was starting to turn colder, and I didn't know how I'd survive the winter on my own. I was going through dumpsters behind some of the downtown nightclubs, looking for scraps, or empty liquor bottles with some left in the bottom I could trade to some of the wino's, when Rose found me."

Bella leaned forward and crushed out her cigarette butt in the ashtray, and sat back. She seemed better now after getting her story out, and was calmer as she continued.

"Rose worked at one of the Clubs, but they catered to a special exclusive clientele. She took me back to the Club with her, and introduced me to Esme. Esme ran the Club, and was the manager. At first, I was scared because I thought they wanted me to be a hooker and turn tricks for the clients at their Club, but it wasn't like that. They took me in, and fed me and got me cleaned up. Rose offered me a way to earn my keep without having to spread my legs, so I started working for her. For the first time in my life since I was twelve, I had a place where I belonged and people cared about me and took care of me."

"If you were so happy with Esme and Rose, how did you end up in foster care in Forks?" I asked, wondering why she'd had to leave when she was finally happy. Edward had said she had been adopted, but she hadn't said anything about that.

"There was an accident at the Club with one of the clients. I was hurt and had to go away for a while. When I was better, Esme explained to me I needed training, but I'm really not supposed to talk about it. They got me setup to come to Forks to finish school."

"So are you going back to them when you graduate?" I asked her. "Edward said that you told him that you'd been adopted."

She seemed uncomfortable discussing this now, and I knew I shouldn't push for details, she'd tell me when she was ready to.

"I was invited to join the family that Rose and Esme were a part of, but it's not an official legal adoption like when Carlisle adopted you and Edward."

Bella reached into her purse, and took out a cell phone, and checked the time. Lunch was over now, and we were very late for sixth period, but I was in no condition to go back to school anyhow.

"C'mon, Alice, lets get out of here, we're not going back to school now. Let's go have some fun and forget about our miserable lives for a while. Do you need to call anyone?"

"Yeah, let me make a call." I took out my cell phone and dialed Carlisle. It rang a couple of times, and then he picked up.

"_Hello, Alice, is something wrong?" _Carlisle asked when he answered the phone.

"No, dad, I'm ok. Um, dad, I'm not going back to school for sixth and seventh period today. I'm with Bella Swan, and we've been reminiscing about our childhoods and how we grew up. Can you call me in to the school?"

"_Ok, Alice. Are you sure you're alright? I can come get you if you need to talk."_

"No, I'm ok, Bella needed someone to talk too, we have a lot in common, but we'll be ok."

"_Alright, Alice, if you can handle it, I'll trust you. Be home by curfew, ok? Do what you think is best, I love you Alice."_

"Thanks' dad, I love you too," and I ended the call.

"One more for the road?" Bella asked, holding the bottle of Patrón over my shot glass.

"Hell yes, hit me, then let's get the hell out of here."

"Sounds good to me." She poured me a shot and I tossed it back.

"Hell, just bring the bottle with you. It's going on my tab anyhow," I said as we got up to leave. "So where do you want to go…"

*****

I woke up the next morning, but I wished I hadn't. I managed to stagger down the hall, and knelt in front of the toilet as I threw up, and I felt better. I got up and washed my face and rinsed out my mouth. I could smell coffee downstairs.

I walked into the kitchen, and Edward handed me a bottle of Tylenol and a cup of black coffee. I took three and washed them down with the coffee, and sat at the table holding my head in my hands as I leaned my elbows on the table.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Edward asked. "You'll feel better if you eat something."

I groaned at the thought of food, and my stomach did flip flops, but I nodded my head yes.

"That must have been some girl's night out, yesterday afternoon and last night," Edward said as he scrambled eggs. I could smell toast in the toaster, and it didn't make me feel quite so queasy.

"Dad was pretty pissed off when Bella Swan showed up on our doorstep last night with you passed out drunk, holding you up with your arm over her shoulder. I thought for sure he was going to ground you over this, but Bella went into his study with him and they talked while I carried you upstairs and put you to bed." He set a plate of dry toast in front of me, and started the eggs.

I ate a piece of toast, and sipped the coffee, and my stomach started to feel a little better. My head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton, and my headache throbbed and pounded, but the Tylenol was starting to take off the edge.

"One thing I can say about Bella, the girl can hold her liquor." I said between bites of toast and sips of the coffee. "She had more to drink than me. She got a little tipsy at one point, I think, but she was never drunk. Drove like a bat out of hell, and the car never wavered, like we were driving down rails on the highway."

"Are you going to school today?" Edward asked as he came over to the table and served some scrambled eggs onto my plate and set a fork on the table next to it.

"I'll give it a try if I can keep this down," I said, and ate a forkful of scrambled eggs. My stomach flip-flopped a little, but it didn't feel like it was coming back up so I ate some more.

"So, where did you go," Edward asked as he sat down with his breakfast.

"Port Angeles to start with. I showed Bella White Crane Martial Arts, but I called in and told them I wasn't going to make it to my class last night. We went shopping at some boutiques, and Bella took me to her favorite book store. I was pretty gone by then, but I think we went to Seattle. I remember loud music, and dancing. We got another bottle somewhere, and then I was waking up here."

"Sounds like a hell of a party. You should be more careful, Alice. You don't know that much about Bella, you could have gotten into trouble, or gotten hurt…"

"I know a lot more about Bella than you do, Edward. I know you're still mad at her, but you should cut her some slack. I'm not going to betray her trust, but she's been through a lot more in her life than I have. She needs our help, and I'm sure you two could be friends if you gave her a chance."

"I'll try and talk to her, if you let her stay in school today. I won't make any promises; she has a lot to answer for."

"Just try, please? She's my friend, and I don't want this to be any harder than it has to be."

We finished breakfast in silence, and then I went up to go get ready for school. The way my head was pounding, I was pretty sure it was just going to be for appearance sake, like I'd really be able retain anything today, after last night. I went upstairs and showered and brushed my teeth, and then went to my room to get dressed while Edward cleaned up the kitchen.

Edward really was a good brother. He'd let me sleep in when he got up at four to go to Katy's for his morning run, and then he'd come back to fix me breakfast. Most mornings, I went with Edward and Katy for their morning run, as part of my conditioning routine for my martial arts training. Normally we ran about four miles each morning, and it helped with my stamina, flexibility and conditioning so I was in shape for my training sessions at White Crane Martial Arts.

I met him downstairs, and we drove to Katy's to pick her up for school. Katy smiled at me as I slouched down in the back seat and hid behind my sunglasses, and asked me how my head was. I just groaned and mumbled a response, and they laughed as we drove to school. I was starting to feel better, but the overcast misty morning still seemed too bright, and all the sounds were too loud and seemed grate at my nerves, but I played my part and pretended to be ok. The day would be worse if I let on just how hung-over I really was.

Edward wrapped his arm around Katy and said he'd see me in English, when he saw Bella waiting for us by the walkway into the school. They took the long way around to go to Katy's locker, and I went to say hi to Bella.

I swear, she had absolutely no right to look as fresh and unfazed as she did this morning. I might be small, but I could hold my liquor, and she'd had to basically carry me to the door last night, totally shit-faced drunk off my ass, and she'd had more to drink than me. I knew she had, I'd tried to keep up with her, but I'd been gone by the time we left for Seattle. I just remembered bits and pieces of the night. I knew it had been fun, and nothing bad had happened, but beyond that it was a blur.

"Hi Alice," Bella said as I walked over to her. "How's your head this morning?"

"It's still attached to my shoulders, but I wish it wasn't. I think I'll live." We started to walk into the school so I could go to my locker. "How are you feeling?" I asked her

"I'm good. I just wanted to say thanks' for being a friend and listening to me go on, yesterday. It's been a long time since I had anyone to talk to that could understand what I've been through." Bella told me as we went inside.

"I needed it just as much, Bella. Edward and Carlisle are great, but I haven't had anyone I could really open up to, since mom died. I hadn't realized how much I was still holding in. Thanks' for being there for me," And she reached her arm around my shoulder and gave me a hug as we walked down the hall to our lockers.

We went to our lockers and I dropped off my school bag and got my things for first period. I met Bella in the hall on our way to class, and we walked together.

"Today, you're going to sit with me at lunch," I told Bella on our way down the hall. "I don't want to hear any argument; you're going to meet people here."

"You seem pretty sure of that," Bella said, but she smiled. "I don't really like anything on the menu here, but I liked our lunch yesterday."

"Well, I can't make a habit of that, and trust me, I'm not going to be eating any lunch today either. Come meet some of my friends today, and maybe we can go out for lunch again some other time."

"Ok, I'll meet your friends, but I'm going to hold you to that lunch date. I think I like the open campus policy so I can just leave during lunch."

We walked into AP English, and Edward was sitting next to Jasper, chatting when we came through the door. I sat in the empty seat next to Edward, and Bella sat down next to me. I suppose I could have sat next to Jasper, but I knew that would have been awkward at this point. I had to be patient and let things play out the way they were supposed to happen.

I could tell that Edward was making an effort to avoid Bella, but his gaze would keep drifting back to her, and she would stare at him. It was kind of funny when they'd catch each others eye and realize they were both looking, and then their attention would snap back to the lecture. Finally the class ended, and we left to go our separate ways.

I survived the rest of the morning, and was waiting at the cafeteria when I saw Bella walking over to me, alone.

"Hi, Bella," I said when she got close. "Where's Jasper?" I asked as we walked inside.

"He decided to take advantage of the open campus policy," Bella said. "He wanted to take a look around at the other options for lunch."

"Huh, Liquid diet?" I asked.

"In a manor of speaking," she replied cryptically. "So where are Edward and Katy?" Bella asked, looking around the lunch room.

"They decided to go out for lunch today, too" I told her.

She frowned, and her eyes darkened a bit, but she sighed and nodded her head and followed me to the table where my friends usually sat. Everyone was still in the lunch line, so we sat at the table, and waited for people to come join us.

Angela Webber was the first to come sit down. She was shy, but she was a good person and had a big heart. She dragged her boyfriend Ben Cheney over, and they sat with us, and I introduced Bella again. They'd met her at the drive-in, but it couldn't hurt. Jessica showed up next. I'm sure she wanted the story why we'd left school at lunch yesterday, and she wouldn't pass up a chance for juicy gossip. Of course Mike Newton followed her over and sat with her. Eric and Tyler came to sit with Mike, and Tyler brought Lauren with him. Once we were surrounded, the rest of the table filled up with the usual crowd.

Bella seemed a little uncomfortable at first, but she settled in once the conversation got rolling. Of course, Jessica wanted to know where we'd been yesterday, and why we weren't eating today, but I just told here it was a touch of stomach flu, and I was still feeling a little queasy today. She didn't seem to buy the story, and rolled her eyes, but I stuck to the story. Bella backed me up, saying that she'd had the same bug, and winked at me at our little secret.

Lunch was relatively painless, and it seemed like Bella was fitting in and getting to know people. I invited her to come over after school so we could hang out and work on our homework. She seemed reluctant at first, but I told her Carlisle would be at the clinic, and Edward had practice, and would probably go over to Katy's after. She finally agreed, and I asked her if it was alright if I rode home with her, so I could just leave the car for Edward. She said yes, and then the bell rang ending lunch.

We got up to leave, and I stopped her and pulled her aside before we went into the main school building. I'd been putting it off, but she needed to know about Edward, and I didn't want her to go into Chemistry without knowing that he wanted to talk to her.

"Bella, I have to warn you, Edward is upset about something that happened Monday night. He wouldn't talk to me about it, but he seemed upset with you. We were gone yesterday afternoon, but I think he's going to say something during Chemistry."

"Ok, do you have any idea what's bothering him?" she asked.

"No, he wouldn't tell me anything," I told her, "but he was upset, late Monday night when he came home from Katy's house."

Bella sighed, and nodded her head. "Ok, Alice thanks for the warning. I think I know what it is."

We went into the school then to go to our lockers. I collected my things for AP Chemistry and hurried to the classroom in the new north wing and signed Mr. Banner's sign in sheet at the front of the room. Bella was already sitting on the stool at her table, and I went to go sit next to Jessica.

Edward came into the room, and signed in, and looked at me. I tried to will him to be nice, and I hoped my look conveyed my hope that he'd give Bella a chance. He just nodded to me, and walked back to take his seat.

He started talking to her as soon as he sat down, and neither of them seemed very happy. I couldn't hear what they said as they spoke in harsh whispers, but I could see Bella's eyes flash with anger as she gripped the edge of the desk. Edward seemed to restrain himself from saying more, but then he reached into his pocket and laid something on the desk in front of Bella. She froze, and if she wasn't already so pale, I'm sure she would have blanched white in shock. She slid the object off the desk and put it in her pocket. Edward made a final comment, and then they both turned their attention to the front of the room and were silent.

They were seated behind me as I sat through the class, but when I was able to look in their direction, I could see them both sitting stiffly, studiously ignoring each other as they gave their attention to the class. I wondered how long they'd be able to keep it up, but for now it appeared that their mutual stubbornness was winning out over the attraction I knew they felt for each other.

Jessica was bursting with curiosity about what had happened between Edward and Bella. They had obviously fought about something, and she pestered me for details, but she finally started to believe me that I was just as in the dark as her. I had my suspicions about what was going on, but I wouldn't say anything yet, it would just drive them further apart. I knew if I just left it alone and followed my plan, things would work out in time.

The bell finally rang, ending the class, and Bella practically ran from the room. I saw Jasper in the hall but she dashed past him as she fled from the building. I hoped that she would remember that she was supposed to come over this afternoon. I collected my things, and met Edward in the hallway as Jessica, Angela, and Mike joined us as I headed toward US History II.

They all wanted to know what Edward had said to Bella during Chemistry, but he stood his ground and just said it was a private matter, and wouldn't say anything else. He looked at me, and I just sighed and nodded my head. I'd prefer him to be friends with her, but if he could at least keep this private, it was a step in the right direction.

I sat down next to Edward in US History II, and there were a couple of minutes before class started.

"So are you going to tell me what you said to her, Edward?" I asked when I sat down next to him.

"I told you I'd handle it my own way. She lied, and I caught her in her lie. She's your new best friend, if you want the details, ask Bella."

"I will if I feel I need to. Bella's coming over tonight after school, so we can work on our homework together. I'm riding home with Bella and Jasper. I'll leave the Volvo so you have it after cross country practice. Are you going to come home, or are you going over to Katy's tonight?"

"If you're taking Bella to our house," Edward said, "then I'll probably go over to Katy's after practice tonight so we can do our homework together. I don't think Bella would be too happy to see me. Are you going to come to the drive-in to hang out tonight?"

"Homework, hmm, is that what you're calling it these days? Her mom's back to work at the diner and her dad's still on the road, just what are you two going to study?" I asked Edward with a grin.

He played innocent, but then grinned back at me. "We'll just have to see what comes up, I'm sure it'll be worth studying."

"You're incorrigible. Just make sure Katy's ok with the subject before you start studying, alright? I might come to the drive-in tonight. I'll play it by ear. I'll call you if I need a ride, ok?

"No problem, Alice. I'll see you tonight."

Mr. Abrams got the class going then, and we stopped talking to pay attention. The class went by fast, and I was finally starting to feel human again. The bell rang ending the school day, and I left to go to my locker to collect my things that I'd need to do my homework tonight.

I walked out to the parking lot, and Bella was waiting by the red Dodge Charger. She seemed a little apprehensive as I walked up to her.

"Hi, Bella, so, are you ready to go?" I asked her. "Where's Jasper, is he still changing from Gym class?"

"Hi, Alice, I wasn't sure if you'd still want me to come over today. What did Edward tell you?"

"Edward wouldn't tell me what you argued about. He said I'd have to ask you if I wanted the details, but I don't care about that. You're my friend, and yes, I still want you to come over."

"Thanks' Alice. I'm glad you're my friend too. Jasper had to run some errands in town, and he said he'd find his own way home, so I guess we're on our own again."

"Ok, well let's go," and I walked around and got into the car. Bella got in to drive, and we pulled out of the parking lot. The radio came on when she started the car. It was still tuned to the same oldies station we'd listened to yesterday. It was cool, I liked a lot of different music, and Carlisle played this station a lot, because it played a lot of 80's rock classics that he'd listened to when he was in high school.

"So, Bella, I never got a chance to ask you yesterday, but I heard part of what went on the first day of school in the parking lot. Is this your car?"

"I guess I was kind of loud the other day, wasn't I? Yeah, this is my car. Rose got it for me for my birthday, last year. Jasper didn't think we should let people know it was mine, so we were going to pretend that it was the Dahlke's new car, but after that first day, there was no way I was going to let Marilyn drive it again."

"Yeah, she looked pretty loaded when she came to pick you up," I said.

"She's going through a tough time with Rich, and started drinking, but I'm not going to let her wreck my car just to look like we fit in."

That was interesting. I knew Bella and Jasper didn't have a normal foster care arrangement, and Rich Dahlke wasn't the type to volunteer as a foster parent. So if they were going to pretend the car was the Dahlke's so they could look like they fit in, I wondered just what kind of arrangement they really had and what was really going on.

We were quiet for the rest of the drive, but it was a short trip to my house and we were pulling into the drive next to the house after about five minutes. Bella pulled up in front of the garage and parked, and we collected our things and went into the house.

"Can I get you anything to drink, or would you like a snack?" I asked as we walked through the house.

Bella was thoughtful for a second, and then smiled at something she considered funny, but replied, "No, I'm good. Where do you want to work on our homework?"

"C'mon, let's go up to my room. We'll be more comfortable up there," and I led the way up the stairs and down the hall to my room.

I opened the door and went in, and tossed my school bag on my double bed, kicked off my stiletto heel ankle booties, and flopped on the bed next to my bag. I rolled over to lie on my stomach, and leaned on my elbows, as Bella laid her bag on my desk and sat down in the chair in front of it, but pulled it around so she could see me and I watched her look around my room.

The room was large compared to the typical bedroom in more modern houses. There was a wide window across one end of the room that looked out on the forest and river. I had two overstuffed French chairs and a low table arranged for conversation and to enjoy the view out the window. The desk was in the corner with my laptop stereo and a small electric fan. There was a tower rack next to the desk with my CD's.

Bella reached over and hit the power button on the stereo, and a CD environmental sounds and easy listening music started up. I'd had it in while I was meditating the other night, and Bella turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

"I listen to that to relax while I meditate. Go ahead and turn on the radio."

"Sure, Alice, whatever you say," she said with a smile, and turned the selector to FM. The local pop station came on, she adjusted the tuner to the oldies station we'd been listening to in the car, and the classic 80's rock program came on. A song by the Scorpions was ending, and the DJ said that a block of AC-DC was coming up next.

"This is what I listen to, when I want to relax," she said with a grin on her face, and then she continued looking around my room.

On the wall opposite the door was a low wide double dresser, with a vanity section in the center and a lighted vanity mirror. There was a purple velvet upholstered vanity bench under the center vanity, and my makeup and jewelry boxes were arranged on top the dresser and vanity.

My bed was a princess style double bed with lavender and pink canopy and curtains pulled back to the corner columns. I had a purple velvet comforter on the bed right now, with purple and green pillows. There was another low wide three drawer dresser on the wall opposite the foot of the bed, and my sword was on the top of the dresser on its display stand. My trophies, medals and awards were arranged on top of the dresser and on the wall above it. The closet door was beyond the dresser and bed, on the wall opposite the window.

The room had hardwood floors, but there was a large soft circular rug in the center of the room and a low table with candles, incense and my tarot card off to one side and another oval rug on the floor next to my bed. Beyond that, the room was relatively Spartan and neat. There were no posters or pictures, except for a framed picture of Carlisle, Elizabeth, and Edward when he was fourteen on my nightstand next to my clock radio.

Bella was getting her books out and a notebook to start her homework, so I grabbed my bag and pulled out my homework. I had quite a lot tonight, because we'd missed AP Chemistry and my US History II classes yesterday. Now I had yesterday's homework on top of what had been assigned today. None of it was difficult, there was just more to do. I'd have to make a point of getting ahead in my reading for AP English later to night and over the weekend, but I'd save that for later.

"So, Alice, can I help you with any of your homework, to help you get caught up," Bella asked as her pencil flew across the page of her notebook. She didn't stop writing as she asked me, and I realized she had her trig book out and was writing out the steps of the problems as she figured the answers in her head.

"Umm, I'm good. It'll just take me some time to go through the lessons. I'm pretty good with numbers, and I'm taking pre-Calculus this year.

"Well, let me know if you want to share, we both have AP Chemistry and US History II, if you want, I can do one or the other, and we can switch off. They're all just chapter review questions anyhow, so all the answers are in the book."

I had my Calculus book out, and was working through the second problem, when Bella put her Trig away and got out her Chemistry book. She flipped to the chapter we were working on, and started to scan the page. She flipped to the next page, and scanned it, and she couldn't possibly be reading the chapter that fast. She'd scan a page for a few seconds, flip, scan, flip, scan, and then she laid the textbook on the desk open to the review questions, and started writing out the answers in her notebook. She was putting away her Chemistry when I was about halfway through my Calculus assignment.

I couldn't resist anymore. "Hey, Bella let me take a look at your Chemistry," I asked, curious.

"Sure, Alice, no problem, I'll go ahead and work on the US History II anyhow, if you don't mind, ok?"

"Yeah, go ahead, I'm just curious," as I opened her notebook to the assignments she had just completed. She'd done both last night's homework and the assignment from today. She'd never flipped back through the book to hunt for an answer or double check herself. The work was written out in her neat flowing script, with both the question and the answers which were annotated with the page number and paragraph from the textbook that contained the pertinent information for a reference.

Bella was scanning through the US History textbook when I laid her chemistry notebook down, and went back to my Calculus. She was finishing the history homework about the time I was done with pre-Calculus.

"Jasper always gets so mad, when these textbooks make mistakes about history," Bella said with a smile. "He's a real history buff, but his favorite period is the Civil War. I can imagine him having some heated discussions with Mr. Abrams, if this book is any indication."

"Hmm, I guess that explains all the gray. I take it Jasper fancies himself a Southern Gentleman then?"

"Oh yeah, definitely the 'South will Rise Again' type, but he's not a bigot or prejudiced. He hates it that the history makes such a big deal about the slavery issue, and he can go on for hours about states rights and the economics and politics that led to the formation of the Confederacy and the war."

She handed me the History notebook, and got out her Spanish. I didn't really consider it cheating, I didn't copy her work, but she had the page number and paragraph listed where I could find the answers, and it made a good study guide to look up the information. So far, it was flawlessly accurate, and I started looking up the answers to the questions and writing them out.

Bella finished her Spanish assignment about the time I was done with the first AP Chemistry assignment, and then she said, "Let me take a look at you pre-Calculus homework, Alice." I assumed she was curious, but she was only taking trig this year.

I handed her my book and the assignment I had completed. She flipped it open to the assignment, and I watched her scan down the page. She opened my notebook, and then to my surprise, she got out a pencil and started to make notes on my assignment.

"What are you doing, Bella," I asked, worried because it had taken me a lot of effort to complete that assignment.

She came over to the bed, and sat on the edge, and laid the book and notebook between us. "Here, Alice, I checked your work. This is pretty good, but you need to make a couple of corrections," and she pointed to the notes she'd made on my paper.

"Thanks' Bella," I said, a little stunned, as I looked at the notes she'd made, and the mistakes were obvious now that she'd pointed them out to me. I went back to working on my chemistry assignment. I'd make the corrections when I was done.

Bella was done with her homework, as I frantically tried to catch up. "So, Bella, what do you think of AP English, have you had time to get much of the reading done yet?" I asked.

"Actually, I've already read most of the novels on the syllabus. I'm looking forward to some of the poetry, but I wish Mrs. Jensen would assign the first paper, or hand out a work list for the quarter, so I could get started on some of the other work." Of course, it figured. Well, I wasn't the jealous type. Maybe I could get Bella to tutor me. It would definitely make it easier to keep up with her around.

Bella got up from my bed, and walked around, looking around my room as I worked on my homework. She spent some time looking over my trophies and medals. My Third Dan Taekwondo Black Belt certificate was framed and hung in the center of the display. She spent some time looking at my sword, but she didn't touch it. On the end of the dresser, my gumdo sparring equipment was laid out, with the steel wire cage facemask and headgear, the padded gauntlets, and a bokuto wooden practice sword.

She walked back to the window and looked out, and then turned back to me. She seemed to clear her throat and swallow, and looked a little uncomfortable. "Alice, I'm gonna go out and have a cigarette, while you finish up, ok?"

"Don't bother, open the window and turn on the fan on the desk. You don't have to go outside."

She smiled, "Ok," and she pushed the window open, and turned on the small electric fan on the desk. She got her cigarettes out of her purse and sat down in the chair next to the window and lit her cigarette.

"There's an ashtray in the drawer in the table," I told her, and she reached down and pulled the drawer open, and took out a heavy looking purple glass ashtray, and set it on top of the table.

I had given up using the book now, and just used Bella's answers as my reference and paraphrased them and wrote out responses based on the information she'd written out. Her answers were practically verbatim from the text anyhow, and double checking against the book seemed like a waste of time.

All I had left was French now, and I hurried through that and I was finished. I was done earlier than I'd expected, and Bella's help had made the work speed by. I collected my books and loaded them back into my bag, and got up and set it by the door. I pushed the door shut and locked it, and then went to the low table on the rug in the middle of the room, and lit my incense.

I took my keys out of my pocket as I walked over to the other chair next to Bella, and sat down. The table was a low ornately carved oriental design in black lacquered cedar, and it was lined with fragrant cedar panels. I used the key to open the cabinet under the table, facing us, and took out a purple glass water bong and Ziploc baggie, and set it on the table.

"Cool, now you're talking," Bella said as I opened the baggie and loaded the bowl.

I held my finger over the carburetor hole, and fired up the bud in the bowl with my lighter. The pungent smoke bubbled through the water as I put my mouth over the end of the pipe and took a big hit, then moved my finger off the carburetor to suck in the smoke lingering inside the pipe of the bong. I held the smoke in my lungs, and passed the water pipe to Bella. I blew the smoke out the window and watched it dissipate on the light breeze from the fan.

"Mmm, yeah, it feels good to relax after a long day. My head was pounding so hard when I got up this morning. I almost feel human again," I said as I reached for the bong. Bella laughed, as she blew the smoke out the window and handed me back the pipe. She was still laughing as I took it. She couldn't be stoned already, and I didn't see what was so funny.

"Almost human, yeah, I can see that," she said with a big grin. "This is some good shit, Alice." Bella told me as I took another hit.

I held in the smoke, and handed her back the bong. I blew it out the window, and then Bella handed the water pipe back to me.

"Alice, I was looking around. Are those tarot cards on the table over there? Bella asked.

I took another hit, and I was starting to feel pretty mellow. My mind was starting to wander and I felt my awareness start to drift. "Yes, they're my tarot cards, but I don't really read them in the traditional sense," I said as the smoke flowed out of me and drifted in patterns around me. "I use the cards to channel the possible and sometimes I can see a person's path."

Bella was giving me a strange serious look as though she could see something that I couldn't as the smoke swirled and drifted. Bella made to hand me back the pipe, but I held up my hand and shook my head. "Finish it, or put it out." She took another hit and then blew the smoke out the window.

"Will you tell my fortune for me, Alice?" Bella asked.

"People always say they want to know the future, but all they ever want to hear is good news. They never want to hear the bad news. I can't control what I see. I don't always even remember all of it. It freaks Edward and Carlisle out, if I really let myself go."

"I've been through a lot, you know about it, Alice. I can handle the bad news or the good, I just want to know, ok?" she pleaded. Well, I'd warned her.

I got up and moved to the rug, and melted down into a cross-legged seat next to the low table as I took a deep breath and centered myself. I closed my eyes and let my awareness drift and my hand found the cards. I shuffled and cut the deck, and shuffled again and spread a pattern with the cards on the rug in front of me. I opened my eyes, as my awareness danced at the edge of the room, and I was aware of Bella sitting cross-legged in front of me.

I gathered the cards, shuffled and cast another pattern as my awareness shifted and focused on Bella. I could feel her aura and sense her strength of will. I saw her path and the decisions that would affect it. She felt foreign and strange, but I had seen this before. I closed my eyes again as my awareness flowed out and looked at the possible and what might be and what would be as our lives became more tightly intertwined and our futures moved along the same path.

My hands moved with a will of their own as the cards came together and I shuffled and laid another pattern. The room was silent, and I could still feel Bella, but she wasn't breathing. The air was still and she didn't move as she sat motionless as a stone. And then I heard her sharp intake of breath as I finally spoke.

"I know you and Jasper are different, Bella. I don't know why or how, but you have a secret, and you aren't ready to share it yet. I'm ok with that. You need to know, I'm not going to tell anyone. I can feel my connection to Jasper, just like what you and Edward are going through. I know that someday, I'm going to be like you and Jasper."

My hands moved as I flipped the cards and they landed in front of me on the rug, drawn into the pattern as though they were connected to the rug by elastic and they snapped into position as I let them go. My eyes were open but I couldn't see, as my eyes rolled back in my head showing only the whites. I passed my hand over the rug, and felt the cards gather to me as they moved to my hand like a magnetic pull.

"Edward can feel his connection to you too, but he doesn't understand what's happening, and he's confused. He was warned not to fall in love with Katy, and to wait for you, but things are complicated now. You need to give it time. Edward will figure it out, but it's going to take time and there is going to be pain and hurt feelings before there is a clear resolution. We cannot try to lead him or guide his path, or he will fight us and make the wrong decisions."

I had never felt the path before us so clearly, as my hands moved and the cards snapped back out into a new pattern I could feel the energy of the possible crackle around me, and it was like I was suspended above us, as I watched my hands move, my body breathed, my lips move, I spoke words.

"Edward will have to make a choice, when the one who has gone to Italy returns. The day will come when he has to make a choice between the girl that owns his heart, and the girl that owns his soul. One choice leads to death. One choice leads to life. Both choices lead to blinding, searing pain."

I saw the cusp, the point of decision that would affect all of our lives, but it had to be governed by free will. We could not make the choice for him. The paths radiated out from this point, but I couldn't look beyond it. I strained against the barrier, but my awareness faded as I beat myself against the future and it reached out and slammed me down. My back arched and the breath was knocked out of my lungs as though I'd been punched hard in my solar plexus and the blackness took me.

******

I was lying on my back, and I could feel something cool and wet on my face. I cracked my eyes open, I was in my room lying on my bed.

"Alice, are you ok?" Bella asked sounding anxious. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping my forehead with a cool cloth.

"Whoa, that was a rush. What did I say?" I lied. I knew it would be easier for Bella if I pretended not to remember. I felt her relax a little as she sat next to me.

"Oh, a bunch of different things that didn't make much sense," Bella lied to me. "You talked about Edward, and Jasper and me."

"No, You and Edward, and Jasper and me," I corrected. It'll be like that in time, I can feel it, but you can't force it, you have to give Edward time." I felt Bella tense, but I started to get up and felt a head rush as the room spun and teetered a bit.

"Whew, I haven't had that strong an experience in a while now, it must have been intense. I didn't freak you out, did I?" I sat up on the bed, and took Bella's hands in mine. She tried to pull away, but I held her hands and shook my head. "It's alright, are you ok? Thanks' for taking care of me, again." Her hands were ice cold and hard, but I ignored it. She seemed apprehensive to let me touch her, but started to relax when I didn't react badly to the feel of her hands.

"No, I'm not freaked out. It was kind of scary, and strange, but I'm cool with it. Trust me; I've seen a lot of weird shit in my life. So, are you like psychic, Alice?"

"I guess you could call it that. I've never really given it a name, what I do, but I've been able to get a general sense of how events will play out for a long time now. It's gotten stronger since I started meditating about six years ago." I didn't need to give her all the details now; she'd figure those out in time.

"That is so cool. So, can I talk about this, or is this something private?" Bella asked.

"I've never talked to any of my other friends about this. Only Edward and my dad know. I'd prefer to keep it between us, ok?

"No problem, Alice, your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks' Bella."

Bella looked over her shoulder at the display of martial arts trophies, awards, and certificates on the wall and dresser across from the foot of my bed.

"So, it looks like you've been studying martial arts for a long time, Alice."

"Ever since I was ten, Elizabeth, my mom got me signed up, and I've been doing it ever since. I've studied Taekwondo, and started training in Gumdo sword for the last two years."

Bella got up and walked over to the dresser, and I got up and followed her.

"Can I look at your sword, Alice?" Bella asked

"Yes, but be very careful, it's a real, battle-ready blade, and it's extremely sharp…"

Bella reverently picked up the katana with two hands, and then moved her left hand to the kurikata holding the blue lacquered saya in the traditional position with the curve and sharp edge of the blade facing up. She pushed her thumb against the tsuba as she gripped the tsuka to loosen the habaki and slid the blade of the katana about six inches out of the koiguchi. She examined the blade as she moved to the center of the room.

"This is one of the Hanwei Forge Orchid Katana series, isn't it, Alice? The hamon is distinct and prominent and the hada shows good grain pattern and distinct layers. Hanwei folds these blades to 1024 layers, don't they?"

"Yes, it's a hand forged and folded K120C powder steel blade, differentially tempered using the traditional claying method to produce a 60 Rockwell C edge and 40 Rockwell C back. Hanwei only imported one hundred pieces of the Orchid Katana pattern. It's one of their lighter blades, only 2lb 3oz, and a medium kissaki with a twenty-eight inch blade length."

Bella automatically assumed shizentai posture as she stepped into the center of the room and knelt to sit in sageto. I heard her whisper "Kamae To" under her breath, and she drew the sword, leaving the saya on the carpet and stepped into chudan, the basic stance, to feel the weight and balance of the weapon.

The blade flashed and I could hear it whistle as it cleaved the still air in the room as Bella flawlessly ran through a basic kata. Thrust, a twist of the elbows to bring the blade back in, rising slash, follow through, reverse, attack, parry, guard, and then she was back at the beginning.

She knelt to sit in sageto beside the saya, and then flourished the katana through osameto, giving the slight flick of the blade that was designed to shake the blood off the blade, bringing the tsuba against her left thumb, drawing the blade forward and aligning the tip of the blade with the koiguchi, then sliding it through her left hand into the saya to assume taito. She rose holding the Katana in sageto as she turned and walked back over to me.

She raised the katana before me in two hands and bowed to me, flawlessly executing ritsu rei, bowing from the shizentai position, bending her body from the hip at a precise 15 degree angle, while looking me in the eye like she'd bow to an opponent, as she presented the sword.

I accepted the katana, and returned the bow. "You've had training, but your technique looks more like Kenjitsu than Gumdo." It was a statement, not a question.

"Jasper's been working with me for a while now. He says it's something important that I need to learn. I like the training. It relaxes me and gives me something to focus my mind on."

I walked back over to the dresser, and returned the katana to the display stand, and Bella followed me over as I stood by the end of the dresser.

"So Jasper is into the martial arts? Does he practice any other techniques or go to competitions? I've never seen him at any of the tournaments I go to."

"Jasper is an awesome fighter. He's scary fast and extremely skilled, but he doesn't compete in tournaments or competitions. I heard him talking to Esteban about a tournament that they'd gone to in Paris once, but I've never seen him go to any since I've known him."

"That's cool; at least Jasper and I have something in common. Who's this Esteban he was talking to? Is he a friend of yours?"

"I guess you could say Esteban is Jasper's teacher or mentor, kind of like a sensei, but Jasper was already very skilled before he met Esteban. They've trained together for years, but Esteban had to go away for a while"

"So, what else has Jasper taught you, do you just practice the forms, or do you do any sparring too?"

"Oh, trust me; we do a lot of sparring. Jasper says it doesn't do any good to learn techniques and theories, unless I can use them in the real world. We practice everyday."

I shivered at the thought. Why would anybody consider being skilled at fighting with a sword to be a relevant, real world skill? Sure, Taekwondo, and other unarmed fighting techniques were useful for self-defense, and were trained by many of the world's police forces and militaries, but sword fighting? That was more of an obscure hobby in this day and age. There were martial arts clubs that held competitions, and historical societies and clubs that practiced a variety of sword combat forms, but nobody really fought with swords in the modern world, did they?

"It's still early out. I've got more gear in the closet. Want to show me what you've got?" I asked intrigued to gauge her skill level.

"I don't know, Alice. I don't want to hurt you…"

Ok, that was it; we were so going to do this. Hurt me…Hah! I opened the closet, and tossed Bella a set of head gear with a wire cage face mask and a pair of padded gauntlets.

"Are you ok with bokuto, or would you prefer to start off with shinai?" I asked. Bokuto were hardwood practice swords, but could do real damage, like being hit with a baseball bat or Billy club. Shinai were bundled strips of bamboo, and while they could sting when they hit and leave a welt, they were softer and did less damage if you made a mistake.

"Bokuto are ok. Jasper and I usually spar with kagum or live steel, but I don't want to hurt you," Bella said.

That made me pause for a couple of heartbeats. Kagum were blunted steel practice swords, used for advanced sparring between recognized experts, and nobody sparred with live steel except some really hardcore fringe groups that fought in full armor, unless they had a real death wish. I took a bokuto out of the rack on the wall in my closet and tossed it to Bella, and she plucked it out of the air with a flourish.

I picked up my gear off the dresser, and we went downstairs and out the side door in the kitchen. There was a small covered patio behind the kitchen, but we didn't come sit outside very often. There usually wasn't anyone home but me in the afternoon, and I was usually working on homework or training. Carlisle was at the clinic, and Edward would usually have practice afterschool, and then he'd either go to Katy's or they'd be up in his room.

We stopped on the patio to put on our protective gear, and I had to help Bella adjust it to fit. For someone who claimed to spar as much as she did, she seemed unfamiliar with how to wear the protective equipment. I had a crazy thought; she couldn't be sparring with live steel and not even be using basic protective equipment, that was crazy, an accident waiting to happen. She took off her boots, and I got her setup, and then we moved out onto the lawn behind the house in our bare feet.

"Any rules, Alice?" Bella asked as she took her basic stance, about five yards across the lawn from me.

"Let's keep it simple for now, ok? Just sword work, no kicks or punches, stop at first blood, head, neck, body touches are kills, ok?"

"Ok, sounds good to me. Any last words?" Bella asked, and I could see her grinning through her mask.

"Just one, PALDO!", the command to draw the sword and my bokuto flashed out in front of me as I drew, and took three large steps, covering the distance between us, and lunged into a thrust.

Bella's bokuto flashed out into the ready position as she drew and stepped forward into chudan. Her bokuto intercepted mine and knocked my thrust out of line. I twisted my elbows and pulled the bokuto back to guard, then stepped into the cut as I brought the blade forward to attack, straight cut, left cut, right cut, thrust, as I drove Bella back and her bokuto blocked my flurry.

Bella parried the thrust, knocking my blade out of line, then her bokuto was flashing towards my face in a rising sweep. I anticipated the cut at the last second, and ducked out of line as the bokuto whistled over my head. She reversed, and pulled the bokuto into a sweep to my legs and I jumped as the blade flashed under my feet, then I was backpedaling as Bella took the role of aggressor and moved to the attack.

Right 45 deg cut, left 45 deg cut, side cut, side cut. She was fast, and was inside my stance now. She made another sweep to my legs, but it was a feint, and she shoulder rolled past me as I jumped to avoid the blade. Bella made a sweeping cut to her rear as she came to her feet, and I expected to feel fire across my ribs as the sword connected, but it stopped mid-swing, and I felt the lightest feather touch along my side of my ribcage.

"Umm, you look good for a dead girl, Alice." Bella said as she flourished the bokuto and returned it to the rest position at her left hip.

"Beginners luck," Alice said with a smile. "Again?"

"Yeah, ok, that was fun. How would you like to die this time, Alice?" Bella asked.

"Hah! I took it easy on you, this time…"

We sparred in the yard for the next hour, and had fun until the sun started to sink onto the horizon and it was twilight. I managed to get Bella once, but I had my suspicions that she had let me win, as I 'died' five more times. I had to admit, I was surprised by her speed, reflexes, and control. Either she had a ton of natural talent, or she'd been practicing for more years than made sense from the history that she'd given me yesterday.

If she ran away from home at fifteen, lived homeless on the streets of Seattle for months until her shoes wore out, and then was taken in by Esme and Rose until she came to Forks, how did she manage to fit in years of martial arts and sword training? She was supposed to be about the same age as me, and I'd be turning seventeen next month. The dates didn't add up, unless she was older than she looked, but she looked seventeen.

I was sweating like a pig, and needed a shower, but Bella wasn't even breathing hard. We collected the gear, and went back into the house. Bella had no right to look as fresh as she did, after that workout, her shirt was still dry, and she hadn't even started to sweat! We walked back upstairs to my room, and put away the sparring gear.

"I need to take a shower and change." I said as I collected my things to go shower. "Do you want to go to the drive-in tonight, Bella? We could ride over together, or Edward said he'd come get me if I needed a ride."

"Sure, that sounds like fun, but I need to change first."

"We can try and find you something here, Bella, if you don't want to go home to change."

"I don't think many of your clothes would fit me, Alice, but I still have that outfit in the car, that I got in Port Angeles, yesterday. I'll wear it if you have something like it too. I don't want to be the only girl there in a skirt."

"Ok, deal, go get your clothes and I'll jump in the shower, and then you can get in when I'm done."

We walked down the hall, and I turned into the bathroom, and Bella went out to her car to her car to get her clothes. I had a vague recollection of the outfit that we'd picked out for her yesterday, and I was surprised she had bought a skirt that short, but we'd been joking about what we'd wear to get a guys attention, and we both knew we were really talking about Edward. I knew it would make Edward's eyes pop, and I was going to have to wear something at least as revealing, to match Bella and show my support, but I didn't mind if Jasper would be there to see it.

This was going to be fun! I couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when we got to the drive-in tonight.

**Author's Notes:**

**Definitions of some words used in this Story** (My own interpretation, other opinions may differ):

Bokuto/Bokken (Japanese) – A wooden martial arts practice sword styled like a Katana

Saya (Japanese) - A scabbard for a Katana

Tsuka (Japanese) – The handle/grip of the Katana

Tsuka-gashira (Japanese) - The end of the grip of the sword

Tsuba (Japanese) – Disk like guard between the handle and the blade. Designed to prevent an opponent's blade form sliding up the sword and cutting the hands on the tsuka.

Ritsu rei (Japanese) – The ritual art of bowing while standing

Shizentai (Japanese) – the normal posture for the way of the sword: Relaxed but not lazy: straighten the back of your neck, chin pulled in, back straight, tighten the butt cheeks. Feet with heels together and toes out at a 45deg angle apart.

Sageto (Japanese) – The position to walk with the sword, with the sword held on the left side hanging down with the arm straight. The tsuka-gashira must be kept within the line of your body in front of you.

Taito (Japanese) - lift the sword in your left hand to the hipbone in imitation of a samurai who carried their swords in their belt. The position to draw the sword from when worn in your belt.

Chudan (Japanese) – The basic sword stance with the sword drawn and extending in front of you.

Osameto (Japanese)/ Chakgum (Korean) – The art of flourishing the sword to return it to the scabbard. The Katana is carried with the sharp edge facing up. Usually includes a flourish to reverse the blade, a flick of the wrist to shake the blood off of the blade, the tsuba is placed against the opening of the saya and then the sword is drawn forward through the fingers of the left hand. The tip is inserted into the saya, and then the sword is slid into the saya. In combat, a rag or pom would be held in the hand to wipe blood from the blade during osameto before returning the blade to the saya.

Paldo (Korean) – Draw the Sword (to attack)

**This was a difficult chapter to post, I kept wondering if I should go back and edit out parts of the scene at the bar in the bowling alley, but I felt it was important to the story to get their stories out. Chapter 4 is done and I'm about halfway through chapter 5. Chapter 4 returns to EPOV (Edward). The way things are planned out now, Alice should be back for chapter 7  
**

**Please review, and let me know what you think.**


	4. Cheerleader

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

* * *

Chapter 4 Cheerleader

EPOV (Edward)

Bella Swan was a liar, and I had caught her in her lie. Fortunately, she wasn't a very good liar, and although she was difficult for me to read, I could tell that she didn't like to lie and it didn't come naturally to her.

I had confronted Bella in Chemistry and asked her why she had been spying on Katy and me when we were in bed together, Monday night after the first day of school. I knew she'd been watching us through Katy's bedroom window. I'd seen her boot prints in the flower bed under the window, and I'd asked her to explain what the hell was going on.

She'd lied, and tried to tell me that it wasn't her, but I'd found the top of her ring that she'd been wearing in school that day in the dirt under the window, so I knew she had been there, watching us. Of course, that just confirmed that she'd been there, and gave me some evidence. Crazy as it sounded, I'd known she was there, because I could feel her presence outside the room as I'd been lying in bed having sex with Katy.

Alice had told me that there was a connection between us and that it was stronger for Bella. I knew she was right, at least as far as what I could feel, but it still didn't excuse what she'd done. It just gave me more questions. What was this connection between us? Why could I sense when she was nearby? Would it go away? Was there a cure? Did I want to even try to end this connection? How did Alice know what I was feeling, but then how did Alice know even half the shit she came up with? I really didn't want the details on that, but did I want to know more about what I was feeling for Bella?

There were parts of this situation that just didn't add up, and I knew Bella had the answers, but she had shut down, and wouldn't talk to me now. If Bella wasn't going to give me any answers, then I'd just have to figure this out on my own. I knew she was hiding some kind of secret now, and I was going to figure this out and get to the bottom of this mystery.

I knew it had to be her outside Katy's window, because I'd found part of her ring, but the ring had to have broken when she punched the wall of the house under the window. It should have broken her hand, but she was in school the next day, and didn't have a scratch on her. I had gone back and looked at the side of the house in the daylight. The marks of the knuckles were clear, and the mark from the ring. The board was pulverized and splintered, yet Bella didn't have a scratch and her hand wasn't hurt.

Then there were all of the crazy animal sounds that I'd heard out the window in the yard that night, and I didn't know what to make of that. Was it some kind of sick joke, to try and scare us as she played some kind of recordings? Was it a coincidence, and she'd been in the yard at the same time some kind of wild animal had been prowling around the neighborhood? Or was there another explanation that I hadn't considered?

Was she some kind of crazy stalker bitch that wanted to break up my relationship with Katy? She'd made it pretty clear that she had feelings for me, but the trouble was, that even though I'd made it clear that Katy was my girlfriend, and I was committed to our relationship, I felt an attraction to Bella Swan that was real and caused me to want to be near her. I felt flashes of jealousy when I saw other guys look at her, and even though I was pissed off about Monday night, I was ready to sit and listen to her explanation if she was willing to give one.

Then there was Alice. Alice had taken it upon herself to make friends with Bella. Usually she was a pretty good judge of character, but the second day of school, Alice and Bella had disappeared during lunch, only to have Bella Swan show up on our doorstep in the middle of the night with Alice passed out drunk. Being understanding and cutting her some slack could only go so far, but Carlisle hadn't even grounded her. He'd talked to Bella for a couple of minutes in private when she brought her home, and then he wasn't mad anymore, and just let it go.

I'd gone to Katy's house after cross country practice, because Alice had told me that Bella was going to go to our house to spend time with her and do their homework. Katy's mom was at work for the evening shift at the diner, and her dad was still on the road, so we had the house to ourselves. We'd showered to clean up after our afternoon run with the cross country team. I'd helped Katy with her homework and finished mine, and then we'd had some time together alone in her room.

I'd felt guilty as I held Katy in my arms as we moved together between her sheets. I knew she deserved all of my attention, but I couldn't help thinking about Bella Swan. I halfway expected to feel her presence outside the window, and sense her the way I had on Monday night, but I only felt the dull ache in my chest as Katy and I brought each other pleasure. I couldn't help myself as I compared Katy and Bella and my mind created sick fantasies where I was holding Bella in my arms instead of Katy.

I knew I was attracted to Bella, even though I was in love with Katy. My love for Katy was real, but I could feel the attraction to Bella when she was nearby, and it flared to raw desire, the closer I got to her. It was difficult to sit next to her in Chemistry and concentrate on the lecture as my body screamed for me to reach out and touch her. But I was with Katy now, and I tried to force these thoughts out of my head as I drove into her and brought her closer to climax.

I'd thrust into Katy harder, but the question kept worming its way back into my head. If I could sense Bella, and my body screamed for her touch, if I felt the raw desire to be with her when I sat next to her, what would it be like if I was fucking her instead of Katy, as I'd shot my load, and Katy clenched around me? Guilt flashed through me as I pushed those thought away and held Katy. I knew it was wrong to think about Bella when I was committed to Katy. She could sense that something was bothering me, but I knew I couldn't talk to her about these feelings.

We got up and I held Katy in the shower as the hot water cascaded over us, but it couldn't wash away my guilt as I held the girl I loved in my arms but Bella Swan filled my thoughts.

It was getting dark out now as the day passed from twilight into evening, and we got dressed to go out to get something to eat. Alice hadn't called me for a ride, so I had to assume she was either still with Bella, or maybe she wasn't planning to come out to the drive-in tonight.

Katy and I drove to the drive-in, and we claimed out usual spot for the evening. We were early, so we went inside and sat cuddled together in a booth to eat our burgers and fries. We had pie for dessert, and more people started to show up so we went back outside and sat at the picnic table by Tyler's van. I felt comfortable, holding Katy by my side as we sat and joked with our friends, and I could almost forget the dull ache in my chest that reminded me that things were different now.

I had to admit, I was starting to get worried about Alice, after she'd pulled her disappearing act yesterday. At least she'd called dad to let him know what was going on, but I had been in the dark until I talked to Carlisle yesterday evening. It surprised me how much of my concern was for Bella too. I'd only known she even existed for three days now, but I was worried about her too. I was about to get out my phone and call Alice to find out what was going on, when the red Dodge Charger pulled into the parking lot.

I could see Bella driving, and I felt relief to see Alice sitting in the passenger seat laughing at some joke as they pulled into a parking spot next to the Volvo. Jasper wasn't with them, and I hadn't seen him since he'd met Bella after Chemistry to walk her to gym class. I could feel the tug in my stomach as the dull ache in my chest faded when they parked and shut of the engine. I knew I was in trouble, when the doors opened and I saw the stilettos and bare ankles as she stepped out of the car while the open door blocked most of the view.

Bella Swan stepped out of the car and my eyes popped as I stared at the open toed strappy stilettos with four inch heels, perfect ankles, shapely calves, and legs that just went up and up. The faded denim mini-skirt wasn't super short, covering the top third of her thighs, but sitting low on her hips. She could probably wear it on the street without getting arrested. She was wearing a low cut red bra-top tank that showed off a lot of cleavage, and a dark brown bark colored leather zip front motorcycle jacket. The bottom couple of inches zipped shut so it hugged her tight, showing off her curves, but the top was open and left little to the imagination.

She pulled the strap of her purse onto her shoulder as she came around the front of the car, and then Alice came up to her and hooked her arm through her elbow as they giggled at some private joke and started to head over to our table. I did a double take as I took in Alice's outfit, and wondered what kind of effect Bella was having on Alice.

Alice had on her dark purple stiletto pumps with the 3 inch heels, and a dark purple/blue silk tiered skirt that was almost as short as Bella's. She was wearing a cream colored sleeveless crocheted top that hung down over the top of the skirt like a lacy accent, and a low cut yellow tie-dyed cotton crop tank. She was carrying her leather jacket in the crook of her elbow.

"Do you see something you like?" Katy asked me sarcastically, as she reached up, put her hand under my chin and pushed my mouth closed, where my jaw was hanging open as I stared. She reached between my legs with the hand she had in my lap, and pinched the head of my cock, and I realized how hard my dick was. She must have felt my cock harden as the girls, well Bella, got out of the car. "Nice. God you guys are all the same!" She hissed in my ear. "Maybe I should dress like a whore too, if that's what turns you on!" I felt her stiffen and pull away from me on the seat as she put some space between us.

"Hey Alice, Bella," Jessica squealed as she came over to say hi. "Wow, you two sure look hot tonight! My mom would kill me if I wore something like that to come to the drive-in."

"Oh, c'mon Jess," Alice said. "This isn't any shorter than the skirt you wear with your cheerleader uniform."

"Yeah, but that's a uniform, and I wear shorts under it, not a thong! You two don't look like any cheerleaders I know. Speaking of which, are you finally going to try out for the squad this year?

"I don't know Jess'. I'm not really into the whole school spirit thing…" Alice said.

"You really should!" Jessica pleaded. "Kim and Debbie graduated last year, and Megan's mom isn't going to let her go out now! She had trouble with her grades all last year, and she says she has to focus on school."

"I'm really busy, Jessica. You know I go to Port Angeles on Tuesdays and Thursdays for my martial arts class…"

"I already talked to my mom about that, Alice. She says that we can adjust the practice schedule if you decide to go out, because she knows you're already in shape and you'd be able to pick up the routines easy."

Janet Stanley, Jessica's mom, was the cheerleader coach and team coordinator for the high school. She worked full time at the Bank of America branch in town as a loan officer, and ran Aerobics classes three times a week in the mornings before work at the health club downtown. If she wanted Alice on the team, all Alice had to do was say ok, and she'd make it happen.

"I don't know," Alice wavered a little, thinking about it. "Maybe if somebody else I know was going to try out too, I might think about it," and she looked up at Bella, and raised an eyebrow.

"What, who me?" Bella squeaked. "Cheerleading? You've got to be kidding!"

"Well, if you don't think you've got what it takes," Jessica said a little indignantly, "we'll all understand. You've gotta have some moves to be a Forks High Cheerleader."

"Bella's got the moves," Alice said. "She's into martial arts too. We were working out a little this afternoon. I'll try out, if Bella does too." That made Jessica perk up.

"This is so cool! We're going to have so much fun this year!" Jessica squealed. "I can't wait to tell mom. She so wanted you to fill in last year when Jennifer moved away…"

"Alice, are you sure this is such a good idea?" Bella asked Alice. "I haven't even talked to Rich and Marilyn, and I need to talk to Jasper too." I could tell that she mentioned Rich and Marilyn out of courtesy and for appearance sake, but it was Jasper's opinion that really counted to her.

"I'll do it, if you do it," Alice told Bella.

"Tryouts are Monday after school," Jessica said, "and the first football game is next Friday."

"Isn't that cutting things a little close?" Bella asked. "Don't you usually have tryouts in the summer or something, so you have time to order uniforms and learn the routines and stuff?"

"Yeah, we did." Jessica said, "But two of the girls we picked both moved away this summer, when the mill closed and their dad's got laid off."

That was a sad truth about the local economy. Forks had once been the timber capitol of Washington, but environmental concerns had shut down a lot of logging operations, and a number of mills had been forced to shut their doors as the economy shifted from logging and timber to a more tourist oriented economy.

Some of the local families did ok, like the Newton's who ran an outfitting and sporting goods store, and the Stanley's, where Jessica's mom worked at the bank, her dad sold Real Estate as an agent, and had a business as an Insurance Broker. The Crowley's were doing alright, with their motel, considering that the tourist industry was picking up, but a lot of other local families had left town when one of the local Mills closed.

We were doing better than ok. Carlisle had his clinic, but that was almost a hobby for him. He made his money online from his online business, and his investments, playing the stock market. We had a friendly competition in our family to see who could pick the best stock, and make the most income. Alice had started off with the least, and we'd helped her get started; now she consistently out performed us, and she had a bigger portfolio than me.

"So, if we make the squad at the tryouts, what do we do for uniforms then?" Bella asked.

"My mom has the uniforms that we ordered for the girls over the summer, and the ones that were turned in last year." Jessica looked Bella up and down with an appraising eye. "You ought to fit into Jennifer's uniform. We might need to take it in a little, but Mrs. Howe, the Family Consumer Science teacher said that she'd make any alterations that we need."

"Ok, if Jasper and the Dahlke's are ok with this, then I'll tryout if Alice does," Bella said with a resigned sigh, giving in.

"How many girls are you expecting at the tryouts? "Alice asked.

"Well, two so far, that I think have a pretty good chance of making the squad," Jessica said and winked at Alice, "but we really need three girls."

Bella looked over at Katy and me. Katy had scooted to the end of the bench, and was glaring back at me. I'd been trying not to stare at Bella, but I wasn't having much luck.

"Katy, what do think," Bella asked, "do you want to tryout for the cheerleading squad with Alice and me?"

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I'm already out for Cross Country." Katy said. "I know there's no direct conflict in the schedules, but the school counts cheerleading as a sport, and we're only allowed to be out for one sport at a time."

"Ok, Katy." Bella said, and then she looked around the Drive-in for a minute. She leaned down, and whispered something in Alice's ear, and then Alice looked where she had pointed.

Alice and Bella moved over to Jessica, and they huddled together conspiratorially for a minute as they whispered back and forth, then the three of them went over to talk to Angela Webber, and I had a feeling that they were giving her their pitch to tryout for the cheerleading squad.

I looked back at Katy, and she was glaring at me, and I knew she'd been watching me watch Bella, Alice and Jessica walk over to talk to Angela.

"What, Katy?" I asked. "Do you want me not to be a guy? Ok, I'm sorry I reacted like every other guy here tonight. I know how you and Michaela and Brittany get when you go to Port Angeles to go to the movies, and get all hot over some movie star. You know I love you, and I only want to be with you."

"Bella Swan isn't some movie star!" Katy retorted angrily. "She's standing right over there, and your tongue was practically hanging out of your mouth when she got out of her car!"

"Yeah, and look at Mike, and Tyler, and Ben. God, I think Eric Yorkie wet himself, or came in his pants!"

"Why didn't you? I had my hand in your lap, and I felt you get a hard on when she walked over to talk to us!"

"I'm sorry Katy. I'm only human. I reacted like every other guy here tonight!"

"Yeah, so what's your point, all guys really are pigs?"

"Maybe, but at least all the ones I know are only human! Lauren looks like she's ready to scratch her eyes out, and she hasn't even talked to Tyler tonight! So what? Now you want to be like Lauren? Are we going to fight because I looked at some girl, just so we can have hot steamy make up sex?"

"Yeah, right, in your dreams, like I'd even want to be with you now. You'd probably just be thinking about her while you were with me!"

I must have blushed. I felt my face get hot and guilt flash through me when Katy accused me of thinking about Bella while I was with her.

"Oh My God! You really would be wouldn't you! That's just sick! You say you love me, but you keep staring at Bella Swan!"

"Katy, I'm sorry, I really do love you…"

"Were you pretending it was her this afternoon, Edward?"

"No…" I lied. "Katy, you know I love you."

"God, you're lying to me! I need to think…" and she got up from the table. I reached for her hand to stop her and she flinched away. "No! Don't touch me…" She was crying now, and she fled from the table, and ran to Michaela and Brittany at another table over by the football players.

I could see their heads bent in conversation as they consoled Katy and asked her what was wrong, and their heads turned to look back and glare at me along with Katy. After a few minutes, they got up and walked to Michaela's Nissan Sentra, and Katy got in the back seat alone. I got up to try and talk to her before they left.

"Katy, Please. Let's talk about this, ok?" I pleaded with her.

"Not now, Edward. Not here. God, I just need to get out of here now!"

"Katy, I love you!" I told her, but Michaela was backing out of the parking space already.

"Yeah, right! Call me when I'm the only one you want to be with!" and they drove out of the parking lot.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked of no one in particular as I stood there stunned and watched Katy drive away with Michaela and Brittany. I knew I should probably get in my car and follow them, but what good would that do? I wouldn't want to talk to anyone if I was pissed off. I knew if it was me that was angry, and the person I was mad at chased after me, it would just make it worse, because I'd say things I didn't mean.

Katy and I had never had a serious fight before, and I wasn't really sure how she'd handle it. I had to go on my gut instinct, and that told me to give her space, and let her cool down before I tried to talk to her. That's what I'd want in her place.

I walked back to the table where we'd been sitting together so happily just a little while ago and I sat back down and held my head in my hands as I rested my elbows on the table. I could tell that people were watching me, and they were talking about Katy and me too, but I ignored it as I sat there.

Suddenly, there was a silver flask in a pale white hand in front of my nose. "Here, I owe you one." Bella Swan told me.

I looked up and Bella and Alice were sitting across the table from me, and I took the flask and unscrewed the top. The cap was a small half shot glass, so I poured it full, and tossed the liquor back. It burned in my throat and I felt the fire in my stomach, and for a minute I didn't think about Katy as I coughed, and handed the flask back to Bella.

"Jeez, Bella, What the hell is that?"

"Everclear 190 proof. I figure if you can't carry much, carry the best. A little goes a long way."

"God, you can't even buy that in Washington. It's illegal in about half of the States." I said.

"Yeah, but you can buy it in Oregon. I didn't think you'd let something like being illegal get in the way. I have some friends in Seattle that send a bottle my way when I need it," and she unscrewed the top of the flask, and tipped it back and took a pull from the flask. It didn't faze her, like she was drinking pop or Kool-Aid. She offered it to Alice, but she shook her head no, and Bella replaced the lid and put it back in her purse.

I was shocked out of my reverie, and I started to take in my surroundings again. Jessica and mike were standing over by Lauren and Tyler. Lauren was pissed off too, and Tyler was trying to calm her down, but this was pretty standard for their relationship. Jessica was openly staring at us in rapt attention, hoping for some juicy bit of gossip to spread. The rest of the kids were engrossed in their own conversations, but I was sure Katy and I were central to most of the discussions.

That was when I heard the drone of an unfamiliar engine. I was pretty sure it was a motorcycle, and I turned to look to see what kind of bike was passing through town. It didn't sound like one of those rice-burner crotch rockets, it sounded powerful but turning a higher RPM than the Harley. Then to my surprise, the rider down shifted to slow down, and I saw the bike turn into the parking lot of the drive-in.

Nope, definitely not a Jap bike, Euro superbike from the look of it. It was a Ducati 999S Superbike, set up for dual seats, and a custom gray and silver paint job. It looked like there was a small confederate flag painted on the side cover, and a single gold star next to it.

The rider pulled the bike up next to Tyler's van, and shut off the engine. I was wondering who would be passing through Forks at this time of night, when he leaned the bike onto it's stand and pulled off his full face closed helmet, and it was Jasper Whitlock.

He was wearing motorcycle boots, dark grey leather motorcycle riding pants, with a dark blue accent stripe up the sides, and a dark grey leather motorcycle jacket. The jacket was decorated with embroidered patches with designs, and looked like it had a large patch with gang colors across the back. There was a single gold star on the lapels at the collar that looked almost like a military insignia.

There was a patch on the shoulder that had the crest with the two crossed swords the fist and the three shamrocks, and lettering in a cursive script that said something like, "Familia Moreno Imperecedero". That meant something like Moreno Family Undying or Immortal?

The colors on the back had the same design of the crest that I was familiar with now, but there were stylized ribbons or banners across the top and bottom. There was a motto or slogan embroidered onto them in flowing script. It said "Morir Joven" across the top and "Vivir Para Siempre" across the bottom. "Die Young and Live Forever"? Didn't quite make sense to me, but it wasn't my motto.

Jasper came over to sit down at the table. "Hey, Bella, Just wanted to check and make sure you were ok on my way home." He looked her up down, and said, "So what's the occasion, dressed to kill and breaking hearts?" I flinched a little at the comment, and then Jasper sat next to me.

"Real subtle, Jazz," Bella said. "So what's with the colors, you were the one that said we had to keep thing quiet. You know, fit in and not draw attention."

"Hey, I wanted to go back to Alaska," Jasper said. "You were the one that wanted to stay close to home and wanted the 'full high school experience'. As it is, I'm glad we stayed close now."

"Yeah? Why is that," Bella asked.

"Oh, I got a call that some friends were stopping by, so I had to run to Seattle this afternoon to setup a little reception committee for them."

"You should have told me, I could have helped, Jasper!"

Jasper smiled and patted her hand. "No, you're not ready for that kind of party yet, but soon, Bella."

"The Fu's?" Bella asked.

"McCormick's," Jasper said.

"How did it go then?" Bella asked, seriously.

"Everybody had a grand time. They literally went to pieces after we met them," Jasper said with a grin.

Bella gave a little shudder for some reason, and I had the impression that they weren't discussing a pleasant type of meeting. Then Alice jumped in and changed the subject.

"Jasper, Bella has something she needs to talk to you about," Alice said.

"Alice, that isn't important now, I can talk to Jasper about that later!" Bella said, but the cat was out of the bag now, and Jasper's curiosity was piqued.

"No, really Bella, if you need to talk about something, go ahead and ask me," Jasper told her.

Bella glared at Alice for a second, then turned to jasper and said a little sheepishly, "Well, I was talking to Alice and Jessica tonight, and apparently tryouts for the cheerleading squad are scheduled for next week to fill in some open spots, and they want me to tryout, but I told them I wanted to talk to you first."

"Oh c'mon, Bella, you heard Jessica, if you want the spot, you're on the squad," Alice chimed in.

Jasper had a huge grin on his face, which was saying a lot for a man that rarely smiled and was always so serious. "Cheerleading? Really? So our little Bella is going to be a cheerleader!"

"So it's alright with you if Bella joins the squad then, Jasper?" Alice asked, practically bouncing in her seat.

"Oh yeah, I have got to see this! Wait until I tell Esme, and Rose!" Jasper said. Alice looked over at Jessica, and gave her the thumbs up, and I could hear Jessica squeal.

Bella glared at Jasper in horror. "Oh god, they'll want to come watch won't they. Don't look so smug, damn it! You were supposed to say no!"

"Hey, you were the one that wanted the 'full high school experience', so don't blame me. I think this qualifies. And yes, they'll probably even take pictures," Jasper said with a grin.

"Oh. My. God!! I can't believe I let myself get talked into this!" Bella said as she reached into her purse and took out a cigarette and lit it with shaking hands. She took a big drag off the cigarette, and blew out the smoke.

"Don't worry, Bella. From what I saw today, you'll pick this up easy. I'll have Jessica and Angela come over this weekend, and we can go through the routines. You'd breeze through Monday afternoon easy, even if Jessica's mom wasn't running the tryouts."

Soon after, the drive-in flashed the outside lights. That was their signal that they were closing soon, and it was time for us to start clearing out and head home. I got up to go to the Volvo, and it seemed strange to realize that I was going straight home and not to Katy's first to drop her off. I missed the warmth of her hand in mine and the feel of her body pressed up against me as we walked to the car. I felt that part of me was missing without her by my side, and I needed to fix this and make it right.

I realized I was standing by the passenger door of the Volvo, and I'd gone there out of habit, but I didn't need to open the door for Katy tonight. I felt the now familiar tug in my stomach grow stronger, and I knew Bella Swan coming over to talk me, without turning to see her.

"Edward, I'm sorry," Bella said. "I don't want to come between you and Katy. I know how much you mean to each other."

"It's not your fault, Bella. I'll work this out with Katy."

"I'll try and stay away, if you want me too, if it makes it easier for you," Bella told me, but I could hear the pain in her voice as she spoke the words, and I turned to look at her.

I smiled at her, and I saw some of the pain in her face ease. "Bella, we have four classes together, and you're my lab partner in Chemistry. You couldn't stay away, even if you wanted to. We'll make this work, ok. I want to be your friend, but you and Katy both need to understand that she's my girlfriend, and you and I are just friends, ok?"

"I'll try, Edward, if that's what makes you happy. I'll never consciously do anything to hurt you. See you in school tomorrow?"

"Sure, see'ya tomorrow. Good night, Bella," and she waved and walked over to her car and got in.

Tyler's van pulled out of the parking space next to me, and I saw Alice, talking to Jasper by his motorcycle, and then she came over to me.

"Give me a ride home, Edward?"

"Sure, Alice," and I opened the door for her. She waved good bye to Bella, and got in the car. Bella pulled out of the lot, when she saw Alice was riding with me. I walked around and got into the car.

"Alice, just what the hell were you two thinking, showing up dressed like that tonight?" I pulled out of the parking lot and started for home.

"We were working out in the yard, after school, and Bella needed to change, but she didn't want to go home. None of my clothes would fit her, but she had that outfit in her car from when we went shopping yesterday. She's just a girl, Edward, what's the problem?" But Alice had a grin on her face.

"Just a girl? Damn it Alice, you knew this was going to happen! And why are you dressed like that? You have a whole closet full of clothes!"

"You knew this was going to happen too, if you'd listen to me! I wore this, so Bella wouldn't feel so out of place. She didn't want to be the only girl there tonight in a skirt. Jasper didn't seem to mind. At least he seemed to appreciate my outfit."

"Alice, please tell me you're not trying to break Katy and me up because of some vision you saw or something."

"Edward, I love you, you're my brother, and I'd never do anything to hurt you or Katy. I'm not actively trying to come between you, but you made your choice and chose your path. Now you have to live with the consequences."

"Do you know what's going to happen, Alice?"

"No, you haven't decided yet. The future is cloudy, but I know you'll have to make decision of your own free will. I can't try to influence you, or it will end badly."

"Why does this have to be so painful, Alice? Why can't it be easy? The last year was so easy and I was so happy."

"You, of all people should know that love is never easy. It brings us our greatest pain and our greatest joy." We were home now, and I pulled into the garage and parked. "Now, go call Katy, she isn't going to talk to you tonight, but she'll listen to your voice mails, so tell her how you feel. I'll see you in the morning when we go running."

Alice got out of the car and walked to the house. She slipped off her shoes before she went in, and then I was alone. I sighed and got out of the car and went into the house.

Alice was right of course. I tried to call Katy, and she wouldn't take my calls, but I left her voice mails, pouring out my heart and telling her how much I loved her and how much I missed her. Finally I sent a text message asking her if she still wanted me to come over for our morning run. I waited and held my phone, wondering if she would respond, and finally I got a simple response.

"_Ok"_

It was a start. We ran the next morning mostly in silence, with an occasional comment from Alice, but I could sense that Katy wanted to forgive me if I didn't push, and proved I wanted to be with her. She let me drive her home after practice that night, and we talked. One fight over something stupid wasn't going to end the relationship that we'd built over the last year together.

Our lives fell into the pattern of days and nights that we'd become accustomed to over the last year, but there were changes. Katy forgave me and we made up. She didn't want to admit it, but the hot steamy make up sex was pretty hot, and now I had a better understanding of Tyler and Lauren's tumultuous relationship.

We were still a couple, but the simple easy trust that we'd enjoyed was damaged. It wasn't that she didn't trust me, but she was more aware that there were challenges to our relationship, and she watched out for the things that she felt might force us apart. To be honest, she watched Bella Swan.

Alice, Bella, and Angela Webber had gone out for the cheerleading squad in the hastily arranged tryouts to fill in the open spots in the roster, and true to her word, Janet Stanley had made it happen, not that they needed special treatment. Alice and Bella would have won the spots on merit alone, and they had the looks and moves to beat out all of the girls that tried out, and were better than most of the girls that were already on the squad.

Angela was almost as good, with her background in gymnastics. She'd never amount to much in gymnastic competition, because of her height and size, but she'd been training since she was a little girl. Unfortunately, genetics wasn't on her side, she inherited her father's height and just couldn't move like the girls that won medals. The coaches lamented losing her from the basketball team, but it was an easy decision really. Drive five hours each way to games to be the star of a 0-19 losing season, or drive five hours to cheer for a winning football team, and have half the crowd stare at you all night. She jumped at the chance when Jessica asked her.

Bella Swan came over to our house almost everyday after cheerleading practice to spend time with Alice and work on their homework together. Sometimes Jessica and Angela would join them, and they all became good friends. Jessica and Angela had spent most of Saturday and Sunday that first weekend at our house so the girls could learn the routines before the tryouts, and Jessica had even talked Lauren into coming over for a while to help them get a feel for cheerleading.

I gave them their space, and usually went over to Katy's after cross country practice to help her with her homework and spend time with her. I knew that Bella was trying to keep a friendly distance between us when she could. We still had four classes together at school, and sat at the same table in Chemistry, she came to the drive-in with Alice at night to hang out, but I knew she was trying. The funny thing was, I kept noticing her in the oddest places, and I knew it was her, because I could sense her presence when she was nearby. I didn't say anything to Katy, because I knew she'd be jealous, or maybe think that I was having paranoid delusions, but I could tell that Bella was watching me.

Nearly every morning when I woke up, I could feel the tugging sensation in my stomach that I'd come to associate with Bella being nearby. It was crazy because my room was on the second floor of the house, and after those first couple of days, I'd made a routine of checking the locks on the doors and my window before I went to bed, but I could still sense that Bella was nearby when I'd get up to go to Katy's house to run. I could smell the faint lingering scent of freesia and strawberries tantalizing my senses as I'd wake-up and it was almost as if Bella had been in my room during the night, while I slept.

I knew it was crazy. There was no way she could have gotten into the house undetected, with the doors and windows locked, even if she was some kind of crazy stalker that wanted to watch me sleep. I never saw her car, and there was only one road into and out of the neighborhood. A couple of mornings, I'd even gone out of my way and driven past the Dahlke's house to confirm that Bella's car was still parked in their driveway. I wasn't paranoid enough to go up and knock on the door to see if she was there, well at least I hadn't thought up a good enough excuse yet.

I could swear that Bella was watching us when we went on our run in the mornings. It wasn't something simple like seeing her car as she drove by, or passing her on the street, but a lot of mornings, I'd swear I could feel her presence in the trees around Katy's house. We'd go for our run, and the pull in my stomach would wax and wane is we moved through the early morning streets of Forks. Sometimes I might catch a glimpse of brown hair and pale white skin in an alley or around a corner, but Bella was never there when I got close enough to look for her.

I knew it was crazy, but how could I know that Bella had been at my house, and then beat me to Katy's house when I never saw her car and there was only one road to get there? Especially on the mornings that I knew her car was parked in the driveway at her house, but I could feel her presence in the trees when I got to Katy's house. She hadn't followed me over, or I would have seen her. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I could sense when she was nearby, and I could swear it was her.

It was really strange, when I thought she was watching us on our evening run at cross country practice. I knew she had cheerleading practice at the same time, but there were days when I was sure she was watching us run down Forks Avenue by the Bank of America or the Coffee Shop. I asked Alice about Bella staying at practice, and she said she was there the whole time. She went to use the restroom sometimes, but was only gone for a couple of minutes. The places that I'd thought I'd felt her watching us were a good three or four blocks from where they held cheerleading practice at the school.

That next Thursday night, I had a strange experience when I drove Alice to her martial arts class in Port Angeles. I didn't normally stick around to watch the class. The guy that managed the place and taught some of the classes was always trying to get me to sign up for lessons. He reasoned that if I was driving all the way out there to take Alice, I might as well take the classes too, but I didn't have any interest in it.

That night, I decided to walk down to the book store down the street. AP English was going well, but Mrs. Jensen had given us a list of recommended titles for independent reading to broaden our range and expose us to different writing styles and concepts. We had a paper coming up that would be based on our independent reading, and I needed to pickup something to read.

I had a couple of hours to kill while Alice was at class, so I browsed around the magazine section for a while, then moved into the new books areas, and browsed some more. I found a couple of the titles and looked them over, but I didn't make a selection. I was going up the stairs to the used books when I felt the tug in my stomach as the familiar dull ache in my chest started to fade, and I wondered what Bella was doing here.

I followed the pull in my stomach, and tried to find her, but it was like playing hide and seek among the tall maze like stacks of the used book section. I could tell she was avoiding me, as she tried to double back to the stairs a couple of times, but I'd cut her off, and she'd have had to come talk to me if she wanted to get back down stairs. I never got a clear look at her, a flash of brown hair and pale white skin around a corner or at the end of an aisle way, it was almost like when I thought I could sense her when I was running in town. The only way I knew it was her, was from the way I could sense her presence.

Slowly and methodically, I managed to herd her into a corner of the used book section. I knew there was an isolated corner with only one way in and out, and she was moving into that corner as I cut off her escape route. I didn't run, but walked at a normal pace, knowing she had to wait there to talk to me, but I came around the last corner, and she was gone. There was a window in the secluded corner that was partially ajar, but when I looked out of it, I knew she couldn't have escaped out the window. We were two stories up, and there was no fire escape, ladder, or even a drain pipe.

The crazy thing was though, I had felt her presence moving up and away, like she was up on the rooftop, but the roof was another story up, and there was nothing to climb on but the bare brick wall of the building. There was no way she could have climbed up that wall, unless she was Peter Parker's long lost sister. I knew she had been there, I had felt her presence, but she had just disappeared into thin air. Of course, if I told anyone that I knew she was there, because I could feel her, they'd think I was some kind of nut case, so I kept my mouth shut.

I chalked it up as one more unanswered question on my list of strange things about Bella Swan, and picked out a couple of books on my list from the used book section. I browsed until it was time to go home, but I didn't feel her again, and I went to pick up Alice and drove home.

The next day Alice, Bella and Angela got to make their debut as cheerleaders. Friday was the first football game of the season, and they'd be traveling to Sequim for the game. They wore their uniforms to school that day, and I had to admit that they looked cute in their short navy blue and white pleated skirts, the fitted long-sleeved tops with the FHS logo across the front, and their bright white sneakers.

Classes were cut short on the assembly bell schedule, and there was a pep rally at the end of the day so the cheerleaders could perform their routines for the student body and get the crowds spirit worked up to support the team. The football team was introduced, the Principal and Coach Clapp made speeches, and then we cheered for the team as they got on the bus for the trip to Sequim.

The game wasn't scheduled to start until 7:00, but the bus would stop in Port Angeles for a dinner break before they drove the rest of the way to the high school, and the football team would need some time to warm up before the game.

I asked Katy if she wanted to drive out and watch the game. This was the closest away game our team would play this season. Sequim was just past Port Angeles, and it was only about an hour and a half drive to go watch the game. All of the other away games were a lot further out, and were three or four hour drives each way. Things were going to be pretty quiet in town for a Friday night. Most of our friends were either on the team, the cheerleading squad, or were driving over to watch the game.

I was surprised when she said yes, but Katy wasn't a jealous person by nature. She'd forgiven me, and I'd been being good. Cross country practice was cancelled because of the football game, so I dropped Katy off at her house to get ready, and went home to change.

I picked Katy up at 4:30, and we drove to Port Angeles, and had dinner at a little Italian place down the street from the book store and Alice's martial arts studio. I had to admit, it was kind of nice to take her out on a date with just the two of us. I guess Katy had taken the hint from that crazy night when we'd had our fight, and she was wearing a skirt tonight. Nothing as short or revealing as what Bella and Alice had worn that night, but she looked adorable in her chocolate brown linen drawstring skirt that swirled around her knees, open toed pumps with a two and half inch heel and a short sleeved cream colored tight cotton spandex boat neck bra top.

She'd brought a coat for later, or unless it rained, but she'd left it in the car for now, and I was enjoying the view as we sat close together in a booth at the restaurant. I didn't get too fresh at dinner, but I could feel her press her thighs tighter together when I put my hand on her knee and caressed the inside of her leg above her knee under her skirt as we waited for dinner.

We managed to make it to Sequim before the game started. I wanted to see what she had on under the dress, but I had to settle for a quick peek as she flashed me and a couple of minutes of passionate kissing, before Katy made me drive to the high school. She said people knew we were coming to the game tonight, and there'd be rumors and talk if we were too late or didn't show up. I didn't see the point, we'd been together for over a year, and all of our friends already knew we shared an intimate relationship, but I wasn't going to argue or press the point, there'd be time after the game. Besides, I was the one that suggested we go in the first place.

The lot and side streets were crowded with cars when we got there, but I got lucky as we were cruising for a parking space, and somebody up front by the entrance was leaving, so I pulled into the spot and parked. I got out and went and opened the door for Katy and helped her out of the car. I got her coat, and carried it for her, so I wouldn't have to come back for it later.

We started toward the entrance to the football field, and I spotted Jasper's Ducati 999S Superbike. Then I noticed the car it was parked next to, gave a low whistle. It was a BMW M3 convertible with Seattle plates. Very cool car, and then I thought about what Jasper had said about Bella's friends coming to the game to watch her, and I wondered if they were here.

I paid for us to get in, and got a program, and then we made our way around to the bleachers for the visiting team. We spotted our friends from the cross country team, and Michaela and Brittany were saving us seats high up in the top of the bleachers. We got settled in, and then I had a chance to look around as Katy chatted with her girlfriends.

The football team was out on the field warming up, and the cheerleaders were out on the track in front of the bleachers doing some of their routines. Alice caught my eye and waved, and she had a huge grin on her face, obviously having a great time. I looked at Bella, and she was smiling, but she looked a lot more self-conscious than she had during the pep rally at school.

I looked around the bleachers, and I spotted Jasper Whitlock sitting in the middle of the bleachers down in front, right in front of where the cheerleaders were doing their routines. He had a huge grin on his face, like that night when Jessica had talked Alice and Bella into trying out for the squad. It looked like he was sitting with a group of people as they watched the cheerleaders perform.

There was big dark-haired guy, standing at least 6'5" tall next to Jasper. He had broad shoulders and massive muscles like a serious body builder, but a round face with dimples and slightly curly, dark brown hair, giving him a childlike look. He had a jovial air about him, like he loved to laugh, and although I couldn't hear what he was saying, he appeared to keep Jasper laughing with his comments. He was holding a professional looking video camera, and was recording the cheerleaders as they went through their routines.

Sitting next to the body builder with the video camera was a spectacularly gorgeous girl, or young woman. She appeared to be tall and statuesque, with an elegant figure comparable to a supermodel's like you'd see on TV or an expensive fashion magazine cover. She looked like she'd be about 5'9" standing up, although she was sitting now. She had long, blonde, wavy hair that went down to the middle of her back. She was smiling at the cheerleaders, and laughed at some of the big guy's jokes, but she looked slightly bored, like there were better things she could be doing with her time than sitting at a high school football game.

Sitting next to Jasper on his other side was an utterly stunning woman with caramel-colored hair. She looked like she'd be about 5'6" tall if she was standing up. She had a heart-shaped face with delicate eyebrows and dimples and her figure was slender but slightly rounded in a motherly sort of way. She gave me the sense of being similar to one of the ingénues of the silent movie era, but she radiated youthfulness and beauty.

She was holding an expensive looking digital camera with a large telephoto lens attached to the front, with the strap of the camera around her neck. Every time the cheerleaders would start a new routine or do something new or different, she'd raise the camera and start snapping pictures. I wasn't sure if she was part of the group at first, but I saw that she chatted with jasper like they were old friends, when she wasn't taking pictures.

Katy tapped me on the shoulder, and said, "Who are those people down there sitting with Jasper, Edward? You've been watching them ever since we sat down."

I was about to reply, when all four of them turned and looked back up at us, as though they had heard Katy ask me, but I knew that was impossible, we were too far away for them to have possibly heard her question over the noise of the crowd. The big guy bent down and asked Jasper a question, and then he glared at me like he was seriously pissed off about something when he heard Jasper's answer. The blond supermodel was staring daggers at us, and if looks could kill, we didn't stand a ghost of a chance. Then the lady sitting next to Jasper said something to them, and they turned back toward the field. She smiled at us apologetically for a second, and then she turned away too.

I felt Katy give a little shudder next to me, then she whispered in my ear, "What the hell was that all about? They couldn't have heard me, could they?"

"I don't know," I replied, "but to answer your first question, I think those are Bella Swan's friends from Seattle. Jasper said that they'd want to come and watch her cheerleading. I don't know who the big guy is, but he mentioned Rose and Esme, so I'm betting that's who the two women are."

Katy just nodded in response, and looked down at the people sitting with Jasper for a couple of minutes, but finally the teams cleared the field for the start of the game and we settled in to watch the contest. I had to admit it was a pretty good game. The teams were fairly evenly matched, even though Sequim was a much larger community, and had a larger pool of potential talent to choose from. Our forks team could hold their own against the rival, and the game was closely contested.

We stayed in the bleachers during half-time to watch the cheerleaders go through their halftime show, while the band played for accompaniment. They ran through a series of cheers and dance numbers, and Alice got flipped through the air to land on top of a pyramid of cheerleaders for the finale. She did a flip off of the top, and Bella and Jessica caught her, as the crowd cheered.

The second half started, and I excused myself to go to the restroom. I knew there'd be less of a crowd once the game was underway again, and the halftime rush was over. I asked Katy if she wanted anything from the concession stand, and she asked me to bring her back a bottle of water. I made my way through the crowd, down out of the bleachers, and found my way back to the men's room behind the concession stand.

I answered natures call, and washed my hands. I was coming out of the door, tossing the wadded up paper towel into the trash. Suddenly, a big meaty hand grabbed the front of my jacket and I was literally yanked off my feet and slammed against the wall. The big body builder guy that had been sitting next to Jasper was holding me against the wall with one hand, while my feet dangled three inches off the ground. His other hand was curled into a fist, and his eyes were pitch black and angry as they bored into mine.

"You're Edward Cullen, right? You've got some nerve putting my little 'sis through so much pain! Just what the hell do you think you're doing showing up here with…"

"Emmett! Put him down this instant!" Bella hissed at the big guy, looking over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

"But Bella, I'm not going to stand by while this jerk hurts you!"

"Emmett, Let him go! He doesn't know!"

"What do you mean he doesn't know? How can he not know?"

"He has a girlfriend! I'm not going to come between them! I haven't told him! Now let him go before somebody sees!"

The big guy let go of my jacket, and I staggered a little as I got my footing, and he turned to Bella.

"Bella, honey, you know what you have to do. You can't let this go on this way."

"No, I'm not going to let that happen! I'll handle this my own way! Now get out of here, before Esme wonders what you're up to."

The big guy, Emmett, looked back at me, shook his head sadly, and then left to go back to the bleachers.

"Are you alright, Edward?" Bella asked me.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked confused. "What the hell does he think I did to you?"

"Emmett is very protective. he's been like a big brother to me, as long as I've known Esme and the rest of the family."

"Yeah, I get that part, but why is he pissed off at me? What don't I know? And what does it have to do with me having a girlfriend?"

"It's not important, I told you I'd stay out of your way. I'm sorry about Emmett, it won't happen again. I have to go now," and she turned and walked away.

"Bella, I need to know what's going on!" but she ignored me and walked back towards the football field.

I dusted off my jacket and straightened my clothes, and walked around to the front of the concession stand and bought two bottles of water before I went back to the bleachers. The mystery of Bella Swan just seemed to keep growing. I was getting frustrated, because I kept getting more questions, but no answers.

I saw Emmett back in his seat in the bleachers, and he was leaning over whispering to the blond supermodel, and then she looked up at me, but she seemed sad now instead of pissed off, and shook her head and turned back to watch the cheerleaders. I saw Emmett have a heated conversation with Jasper as they exchanged whispered comments, but the woman with the caramel-colored hair said something, and they both shut-up and watched the rest of the game.

Fork's ended up winning. The crowd in the bleachers on our side of the field was excited as the cheerleaders jumped around celebrating, and we cheered for the team as they ran off the field to go to the locker room. Katy and I said goodbye to our friends, and made our way through the crowd out to the parking lot and got into my Volvo to leave.

The disadvantage of parking so close to the front gate, meant that we'd have to wait for traffic to clear until we could pull into the line of cars, and then we'd have to drag through the parking lot, until the crowd started to thin. We were still trying to merge into the stream of cars, when Jasper came walking out with his three friends from Seattle. The blond supermodel used a remote from her purse to unlock the doors, and start the engine of the red, BMW M3 convertible. The blond got in to drive, and Emmett got into the passenger seat. The other lady with the caramel-colored hair gave Jasper a hug, and then got into the back seat.

I was finally able to merge into the stream of cars, and we made our way out of the lot, through town, and onto the highway. A lot of people had come to this game, because it was so close to home, and there was actually some traffic for once on highway 101 as we drove back to Forks.

I was a little distracted as I drove thinking about what had happened at the game tonight. I was a smart guy, most of the time, and I was starting to put the pieces together, but I wasn't sure if I liked the picture I was getting. I held Katy close to me as we drove home, and ran my hand up and down her side as she leaned into me and she ran her hands across my chest and stroked my leg as I drove.

We were getting close to Forks, and Katy smiled when I slowed down and pulled off the main highway onto a secluded logging road. She started stroking me between my legs, as I drove until we were well clear of the main road, and pulled over and shut off the engine and turned off the lights. We were surrounded by forest and pitch black night as the trees blocked out the little bit of starlight that filtered through the clouds.

"Are you going to show me what you have on under that skirt now?" I asked Katy.

"Well, its awful dark here, I don't think you'll be able to see," She teased me.

"Oh, I have my ways. C'mon, let's get more comfortable," And I opened my door and slid the seat all the way forward.

I walked around to Katy's door, and helped her out, and slid her seat forward, and then I opened the backseat door for her to get in and she kicked off her shoes as she moved across the seat. I slid in behind her, and closed the door behind me. This was nicer because we had the full bench seat without the center console to get in the way between us.

Katy looked at me in anticipation, and I reached for her and pulled her into my arms. I pressed her back against the seat and our lips met as I kissed her. She parted her lips and I pushed my tongue into her mouth deepening our kiss as our bodies moved together.

I loved Katy, and I craved her body. I needed to be with her and my hands became more insistent as I stroked and caressed her. I could feel the forces that were trying to pull us apart and end our relationship, and I would fight against that. Katy had given me my happiness, and I owed it to her to fight for what we had together.

Katy's hands were caressing my back as I kissed her, and her hands traveled down and gripped my ass pulling me against her as she spread her knees and pulled me between her legs.

My hands moved on Katy's stomach, under her top, as I worked my hands up her body lifting her shirt. I lifted the cups off of her breasts and pushed her top up exposing her chest. My hands cupped her perfect perky tits as my thumbs stroked her nipples and I felt them harden under my touch.

She sighed against my lips as I caressed her chest and nipples, but I saw her glance at the clock on the dashboard.

"We don't have much time, Edward," she said as she reached for my belt and started to open my pants. "My parents know what time the game was supposed to end, and they'll be waiting up for me," and she reached for my fly and pulled the zipper down.

"I don't want to have to rush this with you, Katy, I love you," but I reached under her skirt and worked my fingers under the elastic band of her panties and started to pull them down. She lifted her hips off the seat and I pulled her panties down her legs and off of her feet and dropped them on the floor of the car with her shoes.

"We'll have other times to be gentle and take our time! I want you Edward! I need you now," and she pulled my pants and boxers down off my hips.

I leaned back and pushed my pants and boxer down past my knees, and my hard cock sprang forward to bob in front of me as I freed it from my shorts.

Katy scooted down so she was lying across the seat with her head and shoulders propped up on the arm rest of the door. She lifted her knees with her legs bent, exposing herself to me as she pulled her loose skirt up onto her stomach, away from her hips.

I moved over her, between her knees, and she reached for my cock pulling me to her and positioning me at her entrance and I could feel how hot and slick she was with the head of my cock.

She reached for my hands, lacing our fingers together, our hands interlocked as I braced my self against the seats, and she bit her lip as I pushed all the way into her in one long smooth stroke.

It was dark in the car, but I could see her staring into my eyes in the subdued light from the dashboard, as I thrust into her hot slick core. She was hot and wet, and she moaned my name as her pussy gripped my cock while I moved inside her.

"God…Edward, I need you… oh god…"

"Oh god…Edward, harder…" she moaned as her knees pressed into my sides and I rocked my hips to thrust into her.

"Unhh… Unhh… Katy… god you're so tight…" I panted as I thrust my cock into her and the walls of her tight pussy gripped me as I stroked into her.

I could feel my cock rubbing against her clit with each stroke as I thrust into her, and I wasn't going to last much longer, as I fucked her hard and fast in the back seat of the car.

"Oh god… oh god…fuck me! Edward! Yes yess…"

"Edward! I'm almost… god… yess right there…Unhh…"

I felt Katy clench around me as she shook with pleasure and I felt her clit throb against me.

"Unhh… God Katy, I'm gonna… I'm almost there…"

I thrust into her hard once, twice, and then I buried myself to the hilt in her hot throbbing pussy as I shot my load inside her. I could feel my muscles contract as my dick pulsed and the come spurted out of me into her.

The tension went out of me, but I didn't let myself drop onto her and crush her under my weight. I leaned down and our noses nuzzled each other, then she lifted her chin and our lips met as we kissed. Our hips still pressed tightly together and our hands interlocked together as our lips moved in a sweet blissful kiss.

Too soon, our intimate moment had to end and we broke our kiss. Katy looked at the clock again, "C'mon, I can still make it home before curfew if we hurry," and she released my hands and started to push me off of her.

I sighed and pulled out of her as I moved back. I reached into the pocket on the back of the seat and handed Katy some napkins to clean up, then I pulled up my pants and closed them. Katy wiped herself and fixed her shirt, pulling it back down and adjusting the cups on her breasts.

I opened the door and stepped out. Katy stepped back into her shoes and I helped her out of the car. She shut the door, and pressed herself against me and kissed me, as she reached for my hand and pressed a piece of fabric into my palm.

"Here, you can keep these for a souvenir, so you can see what they look like in the light," as she handed me her panties. I grinned and stuck them in my pocket, and opened the door and adjusted Katy's seat before I helped her back into the front seat.

I ran around to the driver side, and adjusted my seat and got in. I started the car and turned on the lights. I pulled back onto the logging road, and got us turned back around to drive to the highway, and soon we were coming into Forks. We were already on the north side of town, and I turned down Sol Duc Way and then west into her neighborhood.

I pulled up and parked in front of Katy's house, and got out and walked around to open her door and help her out of the car. I held Katy's hand as I walked her up to her porch, and kissed her good night in front of her door.

I was holding her with my arms around her waist and our foreheads were touching as I leaned down to her and she tilted her face up to me.

"Good night, Katy, I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok, Edward, I love you. I'll see you in the morning," and she pulled away and opened the door and went inside.

The porch light didn't go off, until I was back in my car, and I could see her peeking out the front curtains. I waved goodbye, and drove away, heading for home.

I was surprised to see Bella's red Dodge Charger parked in our driveway when I got home. I pulled into the garage and parked, and walked into the house. Carlisle was sitting in the living room watching TV when I came in.

"Hi, dad," I said. "Is Bella Swan still here? I saw her car in the driveway."

"Hi, Edward," Carlisle greeted me. "Yeah, the girls got home a little while ago, and Alice asked if it was ok if Bella spent the night for a sleep over. I told her it was alright with me, and she could. I think they're up in Alice's room."

"Ok, well, I'm going to go take a shower and hit the sack. See'ya in the morning."

"Ok, good night, Edward."

I walked up the stairs and down the hall. I could feel the tug in my stomach as I got to the top of the stairs, and I could hear Alice and Bella talking and laughing through the open door of her room, but the sound cut off as I got closer. I looked into the room, and Bella was wearing a pair of blue harem pants and a matching cami. Alice was wearing a pair of purple pajama pants and a tank top.

Alice had a curious look on her face like she was waiting to see what would happen next. Bella was glaring at me with an angry look on her face, and her eyes were pitch black like Emmett's had been at the football game tonight.

"Hi, Bella," I said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked.

"Go take your shower first, you smell like sex, and you have Katy's stink all over you," She practically growled at me, obviously pissed off.

I blushed, surprised she could tell from where she sat with Alice in front of her laptop at her desk.

"Ok, then will you talk to me?" I asked.

"Maybe, now get the hell out of here, before I do something I'll regret. God, I need a drink," and she reached for her purse on the back of the chair.

I backed out of the room, and went to my room to get my things to go shower. I heard Alice and Bella whispering together as I walked past, but I kept going and went into the bathroom.

I cleaned out my pockets, and stripped down. I got a dirty towel out of the hamper and rolled my dirty clothes in it before I stuffed them in the hamper. Then I ran a hot shower and got in and scrubbed and washed my hair, and got out and dried off. I brushed my teeth and pulled on a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt. I collected my personal items and put them in my shaving kit, and went back down the hall to my room.

Alice's door was closed when I went by but I could see light under the door and hear music playing so I dropped off my things in my room and went back and knocked on the door. I heard the lock click as Alice unlocked the door, and she opened it and invited me in.

"I'm gonna go grab a midnight snack, so you two can have a little privacy to talk, ok?" Alice said.

"Thanks', Alice," Bella said a little sarcastically, like she felt Alice was abandoning her to her fate.

I nodded and Alice closed the door behind her as she went out. Bella was sitting on one of the chairs by Alice's open window, and the small electric fan on her desk was blowing a light breeze out the window. Alice's purple glass water bong was sitting on the table and trickle of smoke was lazily rising off of the bowl.

I sat down in the other chair by the window, and picked up Alice's bong, and took a hit. I offered it to Bella, but she shook her head no, so I set it back on the table. I blew the smoke out the window, and I saw that her eyes were the lighter golden topaz color now.

"So, can we talk about what happened tonight?"

"No, I'm not allowed to say anything."

"What do you mean, you're not allowed?"

"You've heard the joke, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you, right?"

"Sure…"

"Not a joke, Edward. Serious as a heart attack, strictly need to know stuff, trust me."

"Emmett seemed to think that I have a right to know what's going on."

"You have a girlfriend, Edward, and you love Katy. As long as she's a part of your life, you can't be a part of my world."

"What if I figure it out on my own?"

"Edward, please don't try and pry into my life. There are things about me that are dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I have a feeling that our lives are connected somehow, Bella, and either you're going to tell me, or I'm going to find out another way. If you don't want me to get hurt, then maybe you should tell me yourself."

"Maybe that will happen someday, Edward, but I don't have the right to explain these things to you, and expect you to accept them as long as you're with Katy."

"I'm not going to be able to just let this go, Bella."

"I know."

There was a soft knocking on the door. "Hey, is everybody decent? I'm coming in!"

Alice opened the door and walked into the room. She bounced over to where we were sitting, and dropped down onto the floor and sat cross legged in front of the low table.

"So, did you guys get everything worked out?" Bella and I stared at her like she was speaking some foreign language, with slightly incredulous expressions.

"Ok, maybe not. Don't sweat it; it's going to work out." Alice told us with a knowing look. Then she changed the subject." So, Bella, did you think about what I told you?"

"I don't know, Alice, when did you say this party was, again?"

"C'mon, Bella, it's next Saturday night. Its Jessica's birthday, well her birthday is during the week, but we're having the party on Saturday night."

"I don't have a gift for her…"

"You don't need to bring anything. she'll get presents at the party with her family. You have a week to shop if you really feel bad about not giving her a gift."

"Are you sure it's ok…"

"Yes it's ok, I'm planning the party for her, and I'm in charge of the guest list. All of the cheerleaders are going to be there, and people would talk if you didn't come."

I got up from the chair. I was tired, and Bella wasn't going to answer my questions tonight. I'd have to find my answers another way.

"Good night Alice, Bella, I'm going to bed. So, Alice, I take it you're going to sleep in? Or did you two plan to join Katy and me for our morning run?"

"Bella?" Alice asked, but she shook her head no.

"We'll pass, Edward, see you for breakfast, and Edward, you and Katy are coming to the party next week too."

"I have a cross country meet that day, Alice," I told her

"It's a Saturday, Edward, you'll be back by six. The party won't start until eight, and won't really get rolling until ten; you'll have plenty of time."

"Now, Bella can you talk Jasper into coming too…"

"Alice, I haven't even agreed to come yet…"

"I thought that was settled, all the cheerleaders will be there, so that's you. You're coming."

"Ok, Alice, Jeez…"

I chuckled as I closed the door and I crossed the hall to my room. Alice might be small, but she was like a force of nature when she got rolling. I was sure we'd all be at that party next Saturday night, whether we wanted to be there or not.


	5. Party Time

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Ok, so maybe this should have been two chapters, but I couldn't find a good place to split it in half. Please review and let me know what you think.

* * *

Chapter 5 Party Time

I got up at 4AM the next morning and pulled on some sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt to drive over to Katy's house to go for our run. I went down the hall, and I could sense Bella in Alice's room from the tugging sensation in my stomach as I walked to the stairs. Alice's door was closed, but I could see light under the door, and I could hear music playing softly in the room. I guess Alice hadn't slept in after all. I knew once I was used to getting up at a certain time, I usually woke up even without the alarm going off.

I was quiet as I made my way through the darkened house to the kitchen. Then I put on my running shoes and grabbed a couple of granola bars and a bottle of water and went out to the garage. The tugging sensation in my stomach faded as I went out of the house, and was replaced by the familiar dull ache in my chest as I went outside. I got in the Volvo and drove to Katy's to meet her. Usually, Alice would go with me, but she had decided to sleep in this morning, because Bella had stayed at our house for a sleep over last night.

I pulled into the driveway at Katy's house and parked. Katy was waiting for me in the driveway, under the carport doing some stretches when I parked and got out of the car. For once, the dull ache in my chest didn't fade to be replaced by the tugging sensation in my stomach as I walked over to Katy. I didn't feel it pulling me towards the trees of the forest behind Katy's house like it usually did on our morning run, and I wondered if this was a form of confirmation of my suspicions. I couldn't prove that Bella followed us as we ran, but I knew she was with Alice this morning and for once, I couldn't feel her presence.

I pushed those thoughts away and enjoyed my time with Katy, but the dull ache in my chest was a constant reminder of Bella Swan. I could sense Bella around me almost all of the time, although I only saw her in socially acceptable settings.

Jasper and Bella sat with us in AP English class every morning at first period, although I usually sat with Jasper and Alice would sit next to Bella. Gym Class was like taking a break while I had time to myself, and then Jasper and Bella would sit in the back of the room during Trig while Katy and I sat with Mike and Jessica. During fourth period, Bella and Jasper would usually sit with Angela and me in Spanish. Bella would play it off like she wanted to sit with Angela, perhaps it was just my ego, but I felt certain she really wanted to be closer to me.

Lunch was different and changed from day to day. Jasper had stopped coming to lunch altogether, and usually left campus during fifth period. Bella was usually there a couple of days a week and sat with Alice and our friends, but she never ate. She claimed she was on a special diet, and couldn't eat the food at school, and most of the kids bought it. The rest of the time, she either went out to lunch with Alice, or just disappeared with Jasper.

Katy and I started to go out to lunch a lot more often. If I could manage it, we went out to eat on the days that Bella stayed for lunch and sat with Alice.

Sixth period AP Chemistry was fun even if it was a little uncomfortable to sit so close to Bella. She was always well prepared for class, with her homework ready to turn in, and she took meticulous notes. We always finished our labs ahead of the rest of the class, and it was nice that she was able to carry her weight with the projects. Bella would talk to me in chemistry, but she would only discuss the class and the work we were doing, although we both tended to use a lot of suggestive comments and innuendoes of an intimate nature in our conversation.

Sixth period AP Chemistry was uncomfortable because I spent the class in a near constant state of arousal, and it was embarrassing because I knew Bella could tell. I caught her staring at the tent in my pants more than once.

Bella would usually rush out of class at the end of sixth period to meet Jasper in the hall to dash off to gym class with him. I was surprised to hear that she was a mediocre athlete, and came off as kind of clumsy during gym class. Both Jessica and Mike had complained about how inept she was at the sports that they played, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was an act. She performed the cheerleading routines flawlessly and with precision. Alice simply raved about her prowess in the martial arts, and was even a little envious of Bella's skill with the sword when they fooled around in the yard, sparring. It didn't make sense that she'd be inept and clumsy during gym, unless she was doing it on purpose for some reason.

After school we all had practice, except for Jasper, but he'd started riding his motorcycle to school so he could leave after his seventh period gym class. Katy and I went to cross country practice and would go for our run, and Alice and Bella would go to cheerleading practice on Monday and Wednesday. Friday night there was a game scheduled each week through the first week in November, and then it would depend on our record to see if we continued into the playoffs. They had started to go to Janet Stanley's aerobics class in the morning before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the rest of the cheerleaders. This freed up Alice to go to her Martial arts class on Tuesday and Thursday night.

I drove Alice to Port Angeles on Tuesdays and Thursdays for her class. I never stayed to watch, but I'd find something to occupy my time. Sometimes I'd go to the bookstore down the street, or browse some of the other shops down town. There was a coffee shop and espresso bar down the street that offered a free wifi connection and lounge. Sometimes I'd buy a coffee, and do my reading for AP English, or work on my homework. Other time, I'd take my laptop and surf the internet and chat with Katy and our friends, or work on some of the papers I had to write for school.

The cross country season started on Thursday during the third week of school. To the rest of the student body, it was just another day, but our cross country team loaded onto a school bus in the parking lot in front of the school after second period. Coach Newhouse got us organized and made sure we were ready to go. Coach Clapp went to keep the boys in line and to act as chaperone, and Mrs. Jensen, my English Teacher went along as the Girls chaperone. Her daughter Brittany Jensen, Katy's friend, was on the team so she volunteered to help out and traveled to our meets with us.

It was almost a five hour drive to Tenino, including a stop for lunch and to fill up the bus with diesel fuel to complete the trip. I sat in the back with Katy for the trip, but we had to be good, with Mrs. Jensen watching us. The trip was long and boring, but we passed the time together talking and listening to music.

I was expecting this to be my first relatively Bella-free day since the start of school. I wasn't really sure how I felt about that fact. On the one hand, it was nice to spend time with Katy and the cross country team, and know I wouldn't have to keep looking over my shoulder wondering where Bella was hiding. On the other hand, I felt a sense of loss that I couldn't feel her presence nearby and the dull ache in my chest felt stronger and made me slightly depressed as I craved the feeling that I had become accustomed to when I knew she was nearby.

I found myself scanning the highway, and then the parking lot at the cross country meet, looking for the familiar red of Bella's Charger. I knew it was crazy to think that she'd show up here today. We were pretty much on our own today, as far as a cheering section went. It was a Thursday afternoon, and even if somebody hurried and drove straight through, it was still a three and a half hour drive from Forks if you got lucky and broke all the traffic laws. Besides, Bella had already agreed to drive Alice out to Port Angeles to go to her martial arts class tonight. It was wishful thinking to think that I'd see Bella's car, when I spotted a bright red car in the marked off parking area at the city park where the meet was being held.

It wasn't Bella's Charger, but I'd seen it before, and I wondered, what the hell they were doing here. It was the red BMW M3 convertible that I'd seen at the football game on Friday night. I supposed it could be a coincidence; it might not be the same BMW M3 convertible that I'd seen in Sequim last Friday, but it sure looked the same as the bus went past to the designated bus parking area.

We got the bus unloaded, setup a camp for our gear in the park, and started to warm up for the race. We had to drive further than any of the other teams at the race, and although we'd just spent five hours getting here, there wasn't much time left until we ran. There would be four races, the JV girls, then the Varsity girl's race that Katy would run in followed by the JV boys, then the Varsity boy's race that I would run in.

We started off walking the course to familiarize ourselves with the layout and the turns and terrain features. Most of the course was run on the jogging path around the park, and the track was well marked. We'd have to make two laps to run the full 5k race, and there was one steep hill before the finish that we'd have to climb twice during the race.

I kept an eye out for Bella's friends that I'd seen in Sequim on Friday night, but I didn't see any of them around. It was probably just a coincidence. Besides, maybe they knew one of the other runners and were here to watch them run. I was just being paranoid or perhaps a little egotistical to think that they were here because of me. I could understand them going to watch Bella cheer, but what possible interest could they have in watching me run cross country?

We went back by our camp and started in on stretches and warm-up runs to loosen up and prepare. I had time until my race, and I helped Katy with her stretches so she'd be ready to go when the JV girls were finished. I walked Katy to the starting line, when they called her race, and took her warm-ups for her, before the start of the race. We were well prepared for this season, with all the running we'd been doing over the summer and the start of school. Katy ran her race and won, and then we traded off, and she helped me prepare for my race. I took first place in my race, and we were of to the start of another winning season.

After the race we went back to our camp and ran our cool down run, and did some light stretches to avoid cramps. Then we made our way over to the center of the park, where there was a wooden shelter house structure that the officials were using as a base camp to run the event. There was a board with the official times posted, and a lot of kids and their coaches were checking it out to calculate their teams score for the event.

I could smell the food cooking on the barbecue grill trailer that had been towed into the park, and I was getting hungry. It had been a while since lunch and the burgers on the grill smelled good. The cookout was included as part of our race package, and we'd eat after the awards were handed out when the scores were announced. The officials were going over their lists getting ready to make the official announcements at the awards presentation. Katy and I found a spot at a picnic table in front of the shelter house to watch the awards, and our team mates gathered around us.

There was still some time before the awards presentation was going to get started, and I excused myself to go to the restroom. I knew there'd be less of a crowd as everyone was looking around to find a good spot to watch the awards get handed out and were gathering in front of the building. I kissed Katy goodbye on the cheek and I made my way through the crowd, and found my way back to the men's room behind the shelter house.

I answered natures call, and washed my hands. I was coming out of the door, tossing the wadded up paper towel into the trash. Suddenly, a big meaty hand tapped me on the shoulder. I was startled, and I'd been thinking about what happened on last Friday night. I jumped out of the doorway and landed in a crouch, ready to grapple with whoever was trying to jump me. The big body builder guy, Emmett that had been sitting next to Jasper last Friday at the football game was standing there giving me an appraising look as he chuckled under his breath.

"Wrestler, hmm, and you're fast too. That'll be an advantage," Emmett said as he looked at me. "Chill out, dude. You think I'm gonna try and drag you back in the bathroom or something?"

I realized I was still in a crouch, ready to defend myself, and stood up straight. "Jeez, do you have a thing for bathrooms, Emmett? What are you doing here, today?" I asked a little apprehensively.

The last time I'd seen Emmett, he'd looked like he was totally pissed at me, and I thought he'd been about to pound the living daylights out of me. I'd try to give a good showing if it came to a fight, but he was three inches taller than me, and had at least fifty to sixty pounds on me that all looked like solid muscle.

"I just wanted to apologize about last Friday night. I didn't have all the facts, and I know it's not your fault now," Emmett replied.

"Thank you, but I really don't know why you were so mad. Can you tell me what the hell is going on? Why the hell were you so pissed at me?" I asked.

"I'm not allowed to tell you, I made a promise." He said. He looked thoughtful for a second, and then asked, "So, Edward, that blond chick with the nice ass that won the race, she's your girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah, Katy and I are dating, what's it to ya?" I asked.

"Well, I can't fault your taste. I've got a thing for blonds too. Are you guys serious, you banging her?" Emmett asked.

"That's none of your business, but yeah, we're pretty serious, we've been dating for over a year," I said.

Emmett shook his head. "Leave it to Bella to get into a situation like this. I swear trouble just follows that girl like she has some kind of magnetic attraction for bad luck."

"What does this have to do with Bella? And why does it matter that I have a girlfriend?" I asked again. Everybody kept talking around the issues, but nobody would give me a straight answer.

"Edward, you are seriously lucky that Bella is such a good person. God, something like this happens, and she still thinks about other people first, instead of her own needs! If I'd seen Rosalie with another guy, before we hooked up, I'd have totally lost it. My advice, ditch the blond. I know a sweet little brunette that has it bad for you, and it'll be unfuckingbelievable, if you let it happen. Trust me, I know."

"You mean…"

"Nothing, I didn't say anything, and if anybody asks, I'll deny it. I wasn't supposed to talk to you today, and I didn't. Got it? I just told her I'd keep an eye on you."

"Told who? Who asked you to watch me?"

"Damn it, get back out there and get your medal! I've said too much already, I wasn't even supposed to talk to you, Edward. I'll see you round'. Have Bella bring you out to Seattle sometime, and I'll show you some moves. Now scat," and Emmett disappeared into the trees behind the shelter house.

I tried to look through the trees for a minute, but he was gone, like he'd never even been there. I heard the mike getting tested back out front, so I went back out to the picnic tables, and sat next to Katy as I scanned the crowd and forest, but I never saw him again that afternoon.

Katy and I collected our medals and posed for pictures. The girl's team came in second place in the team standings, but the boys didn't even place in the top three. Luckily, I didn't need to carry the team to do well on my own. We ate our dinner at the cookout, and mingled and talked to kids form some of the other teams. This meet was a kind of mixer, and let us meet our competition and it gave us an opportunity to size up the other teams we'd face this season.

There was a bonfire at twilight, and we sat around for a little while listening to people sing songs, and we joined in on some of them. About seven thirty, Coach Newhouse started getting us heading back to camp to pack up, and we were on the road by eight. I looked for the red BMW M3 convertible as we were leaving, and Emmett was standing next to it as the bus went past. He waved at me as we left. The trip home was a little quicker, with a shorter stop, and we were back at the high school in Forks at twelve thirty in the morning.

Katy and I slept in the next morning on Friday and skipped our morning run. Alice and I drove over to pick her up for school to finish out the week. The school ran on the assembly bell schedule again this Friday, and there was another pep rally scheduled for the end of the day to get people worked up for our first home football game of the season. Alice and Bella and the rest of the cheerleaders wore they're uniforms to school again, and it made for a difficult day for me.

It was bad enough seeing Bella at school everyday in her tight jeans and t-shirts. At least she wore a coat most of the time. It was hard to keep from staring when she ran around school in the short navy blue and white pleated skirt, the fitted long sleeved navy blue and white top and her bright white sneakers. Luckily the periods were cut short because we were on the assembly bell schedule.

I knew I was staring more than usual, and I could tell Katy was getting pissed off during trig when I kept turning my head to look back at Bella and Jasper in the back of the room. I didn't even bother asking, and made arrangements for us to go out to eat for lunch. I knew there was no way I'd make it through lunch with our friends if Bella was sitting there in her cheerleading uniform. Katy would know I was staring, and she'd call me on it. We'd probably end up fighting, so it was better to just go out. At least I'd be able concentrate on Katy, and show her I loved her, without the distraction of Bella Swan.

Sixth period AP Chemistry was particularly hard that Friday, primarily because so was I. I was sitting next to Bella at the same table. It had been hard all day not to stare, and now I was expected to sit next to her and work with her and carry on an intelligent conversation. Yeah, right. I'd wanted to talk to her about Emmett showing up at the cross country meet yesterday, but the subject never came up as I struggled to stay focused on the class work.

It was kind of a relief, when Bella rushed out of class at the end of the period. Alice seemed find my predicament amusing, but at least she didn't say anything in front of Jessica. That was all I needed, to have rumors floating around school, that I had a thing for Bella, while I was going out with Katy, but was it the truth?

Sure, I had a physical attraction to Bella Swan, but did I have feelings for her too? I found her intriguing and mysterious, and I had to admit to myself, that I could probably very easily develop feelings for her if I allowed myself to. If I was totally honest with myself, then I would have admitted, at least to myself that I had already started to care for Bella, but I was denying my feelings for her, and wrote it off to a purely physical attraction that I was struggling to avoid for the sake of my relationship with Katy.

The cheerleaders were excused from their seventh period classes to go help set up for the pep rally. Seventh period US History II was a relief to me, to have some time to myself with my thoughts as I halfway paid attention to the class. I wasn't a stupid kind of guy, and you didn't have to hit me over the head with a two by four to pound a concept into my head.

I knew I had some kind of connection to Bella. I'd been able to feel it since the first day of school. Apparently Bella could feel the connection between us too, and if Alice was right, then it was stronger for her than it was for me. Bella's friends from Seattle knew what was going on, they knew why we had this connection and they were shocked that Bella hadn't told me what was going on. Bella was supposed to do something to cause us to hook up, and seal the deal, but she was resisting because she knew how I felt about Katy.

The question was, how did I feel about Bella? Did I want her to keep resisting? I knew I was in love with Katy, but the thought of exploring a new relationship with Bella was strangely tempting as well. I didn't know what I wanted, I had always just kind of fallen into relationships, and they were just something that happened to me. The thought of consciously making a choice scared me when I considered it. I was not accustomed to feeling fear, and I didn't like it, but these matters of the heart were new territory for me. I didn't want to hurt either of the girls, but I could feel that eventually it would come down to me having to make a decision.

Katy didn't seem happy when I came into the gym for the pep rally. The seventh period gym class had been cut short, and the kids in the class had been pressed into service to help the cheerleaders get setup for the rally. Katy probably would have simply left after seventh period, because attendance at the rally wasn't strictly mandatory, but Katy and I had both been told we were expected to attend.

The pep rally got rolling after the seventh period bell rang, officially ending the school day. There were thirty five minutes set aside at the end of the day now, because of the shortened class periods throughout the day. The school busses wouldn't start running until the regularly scheduled time, anyhow, but most of the kids in school showed up at the rally to support the football team.

The cheerleaders ran through their routines, and Coach Clapp gave a rundown of what happened at the game last week, and what we had to look forward to tonight. Then Principal Rupprecht came forward to talk to the student body. I was a little surprised when he announced the results of the cross country meet in Tenino, and asked the cross country team to come down in front of the school at the pep rally. The Principal congratulated Katy and I for winning at the cross country meet in front of the student body of the school. It was a little embarrassing to have everyone cheer and shout for us, but it was nice that the cross country team got a little recognition too. It wasn't a popular sport, and was often overlooked.

Katy and I went and sat back down and enjoyed the rest of the rally until it was time for cross country practice. The practice was optional today because of the rally and the football game tonight, but Katy and I were going to practice today because we had another meet tomorrow in Westport for the Ocosta Invitational. The rally would continue for a while after school, for the kids that wanted to stay and participate.

We said goodbye, and excused ourselves to go dress out for practice, and went out to the front of the school to stretch and run with the other team members that showed up today. Coach Newhouse reminded us about the bus for the meet tomorrow one more time before we left. We needed to be at the school by three o'clock Saturday morning, on the bus and ready to go, to get to Westport on time for the Ocosta Invitational on Saturday.

I drove Katy home and dropped her off after practice to shower and change to go to football game, and then I drove home to shower and change to get ready to go to football game tonight. The game wouldn't start until seven tonight, but we were going up early. The Forks Athletic Booster Club was grilling tonight and running the concessions for the game, and we'd have dinner up at the school. The home football games were usually more of a social event than simply watching the game. A lot of the kids spent as much time mingling with friends, as they did sitting in the stands actually watching the game.

There was a good crowd at the game tonight, and probably half the town was here. There wasn't a lot to do in a small town, and the first home football game of the season was a big deal. A lot of people showed up to watch and root for the team, regardless of whether or not they even had kids in school or on the team. The bleachers were still crowded, even with a steady stream of people coming and going from the stands, and a lot of kids just hanging out and talking to their friends.

Katy and I watched most of the first half of the game, and the cheerleader's halftime show before we went down to brave the lines at the concession stand to get something to eat. Forks always had a great concession stand, and always received compliments from the people that traveled here to participate in athletic events. The booster club made good money running the concession stand, and donated most of it back to the school to help pay for new equipment, uniforms, officials and referees, and the little things that the coaches needed to run a quality sports program, like video cameras to tape the team for review in practice. They were serving grilled rib-eye steak sandwiches tonight along with the more standard burgers, brats and hotdogs, and I was looking forward to getting one while they lasted.

We finally made it through the line and got our food. The rib-eye steak sandwiches were just as good as I remembered from last year as we found a relatively quiet spot to eat. Most of the people simply took their meals back up into the stands with them to watch the game, but we sat down at one of the picnic tables' setup behind the bleachers to eat.

Katy's friends Michaela and Brittany came over to talk to us while we were eating, and then they dragged Katy off to go do something as soon as she finished her food. I wasn't really paying attention to them as they whispered together and giggled over their private jokes. Katy said goodbye and kissed me on the cheek, and said she'd be back in a little bit.

I was watching the gate out to the track around the football field, and Janet Stanley was rotating the cheerleaders out in groups to go for their dinner break, now that halftime was over with. Alice and Bella came walking out of the football field to take a break, about the same time that Katy left with Michaela and Brittany. Alice went to go get in line at the concession stand, but Bella headed the other way around the gym, and I had a pretty good idea where she was going. Katy had gone off with her friends, so I got up to go see what Bella was up to.

Bella Swan was standing around the back of the gym, on the south side of the building, out of sight of the bleachers and the main crowd at the football game. Forks high school had a no smoking policy, and tobacco products were prohibited on campus, but this strip south of the gym wasn't technically part of the school grounds, and most of the teachers avoided it and looked the other way, unless they happened to smoke too and came out here for a cigarette.

Bella was wearing her long black leather trench coat over her cheerleading uniform. It was pulled closed, with the belt fastened. I'm sure Janet Stanley didn't like the fact that she smoked, but if she was going to, she didn't want her to represent the cheerleading squad while she was taking a smoke break. She was standing with her back to me as she smoked her cigarette, and I wasn't sure if she'd noticed me, as I watched her.

"Are you just going to stand there staring, Edward, or are you going to come talk to me?" Bella asked, startling me out of my reverie.

I walked over to where she was standing, keeping a friendly distance between us, as she turned to look at me. "Hey, Bella, sorry to act like a stalker, seems to be catching on around here lately."

"Really, do you know a lot of stalkers?" Bella asked with a smile.

"Oh, maybe just a few. Have you heard from Emmett?" I teased.

"Emmett? No, why do you ask?" She seemed uncomfortable at this turn in the conversation.

"Oh, I was just wondering if he made it home from Tenino alright, yesterday," I said as I smiled at her.

"You saw Emmett at the cross country meet yesterday?" She asked seriously with a raised eyebrow.

"No, of course not, just ask him. I'm sure he'll deny it. I didn't talk to him either," I said with a grin.

"Really. I'll have to ask Emmett about that," she said a little exasperatedly.

Then she continued, "So, where's your girlfriend tonight?" Bella asked, changing the subject. She seemed to be getting uncomfortable talking about Emmett.

"She went off with her girlfriends to the restroom. She's probably fixing her makeup or listening to them talk about boys they think are cute. Isn't that what you girls do when you go off like that?"

"I wouldn't know."

"She should be back soon."

"She seems like a really nice girl," Bella said almost sadly like she was wrestling with a decision.

"She is. I think you two could be friends and would get along great, if you gave her a chance, Bella."

"Give her a chance?" She asked incredulously as though I had suggested she walk on water or that pigs could fly.

"I see the looks you give us when we're together in school. It's been like that since the first day of school. I don't understand what you have against her, Bella. I'd like us all to be able to be friends."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I want the same thing, but it's not the way my life works now. I'm trying, but it's hard for me to see her with you."

"I'm sorry that you feel that way, Bella, but she's my girlfriend. We've been in school for three weeks now, and you and Jasper seem like nice people, but you have to understand we can only be friends."

"You and Katy seem awfully serious, Edward. Have you ever had any other girlfriends? Or is she it for you?" Bella asked.

"I dated some before we moved here. I never had a steady girlfriend before Katy, but I went out on dates before we moved here from California."

"Yeah, but you two have been together for over a year. Don't you think you ought to play the field a little more before you make a decision that's going to affect the rest of your life?"

"Oh I don't know, did you have somebody in mind that I should be playing with in that field?" I asked as I grinned at her.

"I don't play around with just any guy, Edward. I guess I'm like Katy that way. I'm an all or nothing kind of girl too, I don't share boys," Bella said.

"But you'd prefer it was you I was going out with, instead of Katy, is that what you're trying to say, Bella?" I asked.

"I won't lie to you, Edward. Yes, I'd like that, but I'm not going to be the other woman and try and break up what you have with Katy. I know you love her, and I won't come between you. If you say we can be friends, I'll accept that."

Then Bella looked past my shoulder, and stood a little straighter, as though steeling herself for an unpleasant encounter.

"Better look out, Edward, I think your girlfriend is looking for you, and she doesn't seem to be very happy," Bella said as she looked past me.

I looked over my shoulder, and I could see Katy glaring at me as she walked over to us. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she looked upset, like she really didn't like finding me alone talking to Bella Swan.

"Hey, Katy, are you done with Michaela and Brittany?" I asked as Katy walked up, getting in the first word before she could ask me what the hell I was doing.

Katy tried to smile, but it seemed strained and didn't reach her eyes as she came up to me and possessively took my hand and clung to my arm, as she looked up at me and then over at Bella.

"Hi Bella," Katy said. She was trying to be nice, but her voice was strained. "Are you ready to go back and watch the rest of the game, Edward?" Katy asked.

"Sure…"

"I better be heading back too," Bella said. "Janet will be wondering where I am," and she dropped her cigarette butt, and crushed it out under her shoe.

We turned and started back to the football game, as Katy clung to me and tried to steer us away from Bella to put more distance between us. Bella turned to head towards the field, but she looked back and waved goodbye before she walked to the gate.

"See you later, Edward. Good night Katy, good luck tomorrow," she said pleasantly as she smiled at me, and then she walked out onto the track with the rest of the cheerleaders.

"Just what the hell did she mean by that, Edward?" Katy asked as she pushed my arm away and turned to glare at me. "When is she going to see you later? Do you two have plans you're not telling me about!" Katy asked me.

Bella was gone now and Katy didn't have to pretend to be polite. I could tell she was mad that I'd gone and talked to Bella while she had gone off with her friends.

"I don't know what she meant, Katy. Maybe she has plans with Alice again later. She's my sister's best friend, but Alice doesn't tell me everything they talk about."

That seemed to calm Katy down a little. She could always tell when I was telling her the truth, and I'd found out the hard way that it didn't pay to try and lie to her.

"Ok, what do you think she has planned with Alice?" she asked me. I supposed I was going to have to tell her now, I hadn't said anything before, because I didn't want to upset her.

"If I know Alice, she's probably asked Bella to come over tonight for another sleep over. She stayed over last Friday night after the football game in Sequim, so they've probably got plans for tonight too."

"Bella Swan spent the night at your house last Friday? And you didn't tell me?" Katy asked. She was glaring at me again accusingly.

"I didn't think it was important. The subject never came up. They hung out in Alice's room, and I went to bed. No big deal."

"You didn't think it was important! Bella Swan spends the night at your house and you didn't think it was a big enough deal to tell me! I see how you look at her, Edward! All the time! It's a big deal! God, I know you even have fantasies about her when you're with me sometimes!"

People were starting to stare at us now, as Katy got louder. We'd stopped behind the bleachers, and people were having to move around us as they walked to and from the ramp up into the stands. She turned and started to storm up into the stands without me, but I followed her. I wasn't going to let her run off and stew about this. I was going to talk to her this time.

"Katy, calm down. You don't need to be jealous of Bella. She's Alice's best friend, they hang out all the time. I'm not going to cheat on you, I love you. Now c'mon let's go watch the rest of the game, ok?" I caught up to her and reached out for Katy's hand. At first, she looked like she wanted to yell at me, but the look faded. She nodded and took my hand, a little reluctantly, and we kept moving back up to where our friends were sitting, together.

"Ok, Edward," Katy told me as we walked, "I don't want to be jealous, but Bella scares me. I see how you look at her when you don't think I'm watching, and I don't want to lose you. She might be Alice's best friend, but I don't like it that she spends the night at your house," Katy said as we walked.

"Well, you could always try and talk your parents into letting me spend the night at your house, when Bella comes over to see Alice," I teased. "Do you think your mom will let me come over for a sleep over sometime?" I whispered in her ear.

"Mom might let you, if you asked her nicely," Katy whispered back, "but my dad would cut your balls off if he caught you," she said with a ghost of a smile. "I might help him if you don't quit staring at Bella Swan! You're just lucky he's on the road so much."

Katy was still mad, but she didn't give me anymore grief about Bella as we watched the rest of the football game. She held my hand, and pressed up against me possessively, like she was asserting her claim on me and marking her territory. I could feel the tension in her, though, and I knew if Bella hadn't been watching, she would probably push me away and not let me touch her.

I looked down at the cheerleaders on the track between the bleachers and the football field, and I could tell Bella was looking up at us sitting together in the stands as she cheered for the football team. She seemed sad as she watched us through the artificial smile on her face, and I thought about what I wanted again. I loved Katy, but a part of me wanted Bella Swan. I knew Bella wanted me too, and that had a powerful affect on me as well. My life was getting complicated, and I didn't like that. I preferred it simple, straightforward and uncomplicated, but there were two girls in my life now, pulling me in different directions.

Forks ended up winning again, and we were off to a great start to the football season. We made our way out of the stands and out to the parking lot. It was only about nine thirty on Friday night and everyone was looking to celebrate our victory. I helped Katy into the car, and we drove over to the drive-in to hang out with our friends for a while.

Katy was silent as we walked out of the football field and got into the Volvo. She wouldn't look at me as we drove, but she took my hand when I helped her out of the car. It felt like it had when we were watching the game, like she was putting on a show and needed to stake her claim while a rival was watching, even though she really wanted to push me away.

Alice and Bella showed up close behind Katy and me, and the other kids that didn't have to wait for anyone. They didn't change, and were still wearing their cheerleader uniforms, but Bella had her coat on over it. Angela and Ben showed up, and then there was a lull until Jessica and Lauren got there with Mike and Tyler and the other kids from the team. They'd had to wait while the guys talked to Coach Clapp and showered and changed out of their football uniforms before they showed up.

We didn't stay at the drive-in for long. Katy complained that she had a headache, and asked me to drive her home. I figured it was a good idea to call it a night early. We had to be up, packed and back at the school ready to leave for Westport in about five hours anyhow. We told our friends goodnight, and I drove Katy home.

"Why did you go over to talk to Bella tonight at the football game, Edward?" Katy asked as we drove out of the parking lot. "I see you looking at her all the time, what do you find so interesting about her?"

Those were all loaded questions. How could I truthfully answer Katy, without making her either question my sanity, or make her think I had feelings for Bella? She'd know if I lied or get mad at me if I told her the truth.

"Bella and I are just friends, Katy. She's Alice's best friend, and she's my lab partner in chemistry. She knows you're my girlfriend, and she knows we can only be friends."

"How generous of her, but you didn't answer my question, Edward. I want to know. What do you see that's so goddamned interesting to you!?"

"God, Katy, do we have to do this? You know I love you, can't you just accept that, and let it go?"

"I want to know what I'm up against. Am I fighting a losing battle? Am I going to lose you Edward? I want to know why you find Bella so damn interesting! Every time I look at you, you're looking at her! You used to look at me like that, but you stopped when Bella Swan started going to Forks High School!"

We were at Katy's house now, and I pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine.

"I don't know why I look at Bella. There's just something about her that makes me want to look. I don't know what it is, Katy. It's almost like a magnetic attraction, as crazy as that sounds."

"Are you in love with her, Edward?" Katy asked.

"No, Katy, I'm not in love with Bella Swan. I'm in love with you. You're my girlfriend, Bella and I are just friends, ok, Katy?" It sounded like the truth, and I probably even still believed it was the truth, but a tiny voice in the back of my mind was whispering to me that it didn't have to be like that if I didn't want it to be.

"So you feel an attraction to Bella Swan, Edward? Does that mean if I wasn't your girlfriend, she would be?"

"I'm not going to answer that question. You are my girlfriend, and I'm not going to sit here and play what if games with you, Katy."

"Fine!" and she reached for the handle to open the door and get out of the car. I got out going around to her door, but she was already out of the car, and ran up to her front door. I followed her and caught her on the porch before she could open the door. She was crying again, and I pulled her into my arms and held her as she rested her head against my shoulder and twisted her hands in my shirt.

"Oh god, Edward, I don't want to lose you! I love you, Edward, you're my whole world! I don't know what I'd do without you. I need you, Edward, but I feel you slipping further away every time you look at Bella Swan!" Katy sobbed against my shoulder as she cried.

"I'm yours Katy. I love you, and I want to be with you. Just don't push me away, and I'm not going anywhere, ok?" The porch light flashed off and on then, and Katy's mom was letting us know she wanted her to come inside off the porch.

"I have to go inside now, Edward," Katy said, taking a step back.

"Are we ok, Katy? Do you still want me to come pick you up to go to the school in the morning?" I asked.

"Ok, Edward," Katy said as she reached for the door. "I need time to think. I'll see you in the morning to go to the bus. Good night," And she went through the door and was gone.

I went back to the Volvo, and got in and drove home. I had to be on the bus to Westport in another five hours, and I felt drained after my evening with Katy. I felt guilty that she was so insecure about our relationship. I knew it was my fault, that I was sending her these signals that there was something between Bella Swan and me. The unfortunate truth of the matter was that there was something between Bella and me, even though I couldn't explain what it was.

Katy was freaked out because I kept looking at Bella, and now she knew I was attracted to her. I wondered how she'd take the news that I could sense Bella's presence. I could feel the dull ache in my chest even now, and it was a constant reminder whenever we were separated, because I wasn't near to her and I could feel the ache of our separation.

Well, at least I wouldn't need to put up with the dull ache in my chest for long tonight, I thought ironically as I drove into the driveway, and passed Bella's red Dodge Charger as I pulled into the garage to park.

******

I was restless during the night and didn't sleep well. It was a relief when the clock radio on my nightstand finally showed two o'clock in the morning and I got up and showered. I got dressed in my warm-ups and running shoes. I collected the gym bag I had packed with the things I'd need for the day and left to go pick up Katy. She was quiet as I carried her bag to the car and helped her into the front seat, and we drove to the school in silence. We were early so we had our pick of seats on the bus and moved to the back where we claimed the large bench seat.

The trip to Westport was pleasant if rather long and boring. Katy let me put my arm around her and hold her as we sat in the back of the bus, and she rested her head on my shoulder. We both nodded off and slept for a good portion of the trip, and I got some much needed rest. It just felt right to wakeup with Katy in my arms, even if we were riding in the back of a school bus on our way to a cross country meet, and I could feel the healing start as we let our fight last night pass into memory.

Katy didn't bring up the fight, and we didn't talk about Bella Swan. It was like the old days, back before the start of school when it was just Katy and me and we were happy together. I saw the red BMW M3 convertible that I'd seen last Friday in Sequim, and then Thursday in Tenino in the parking lot at the high school when the bus drove through the lot in Westport, but I never saw Emmett or any of Bella's friends. Katy and I both won again, and we enjoyed our day together at the meet. The sun came out and drove away the clouds for awhile, and it was a glorious day, but soon we were back on the bus for the trip back to Forks.

Alice had been correct in her prediction. We were back in Forks at twilight, it wasn't quite six o'clock, and I drove Katy home and dropped her off to get dressed for Jessica's party. I kissed her goodbye on her porch, and it was so different from our parting the night before, it was hard to believe that it had only been last night that we were arguing about Bella Swan.

I parked in the garage, and went into the house. Carlisle was sitting in the living room watching TV when I came in and he greeted me.

"Hi, Edward how did you and Katy do in Westport today?" Carlisle asked.

"We both won again. Where's Alice, dad? Is she already over at Jessica's house?"

"Yes, Alice and Bella both left a couple of hours ago, to go to Jessica's to start setting up. This must be some soirée your sister has been planning for Jessica. I'm supposed to remind you that you promised you'd be there with Katy tonight," Carlisle said, but he had a slightly contemplative look on his face.

"It's all Alice has been talking about for the past week. It should be an interesting time, but I don't know how long Katy and I will be staying. It's been a long day already."

"Edward, I know you've been up since two, but I'm hoping you got some rest on the bus. I want you to do me a favor and keep an eye on your sister tonight, ok? Alice and Bella have become good friends, and I know Alice says that they have a lot in common in their pasts, but I don't know if Bella is such a good influence on your sister sometimes," Carlisle told me.

"Why do you say that, dad, did something happen?" I asked, curious what Alice and Bella had done this time.

"No, nothing in particular, it's just Alice seems to follow Bella's lead a lot. I'm not going to preach to you, we've talked before, and I know there will probably be drinking at this party. It's just when they go out of here wearing outfits that look like they're going to a nightclub in Seattle instead of a party in Forks, I worry. I just don't want anything else to happen to Alice to hurt her. I know Alice can handle herself, but be her brother tonight, Edward, ok?"

"What were they wearing? I thought you said they were going to setup."

"I asked them that too. They said that's what boyfriends are for, the heavy lifting, but I didn't think either of them was dating anyone. Alice was wearing a short knit sweater dress and heels, and Bella was wearing a mini-skirt and a leather jacket."

"They probably meant Mike and Tyler, Jessica and Lauren's boyfriends. Don't worry, dad I'll watch out for Alice, I would have anyhow. Katy and I are going to go over around eight or so. I'm going to go upstairs and rest for a bit, then I need to shower and get dressed," and I walked to the stairs.

Damn, this threw a monkey wrench into my plans. Things had been going great today with Katy, and I didn't want to screw that up. I'd been planning on just showing up at the party long enough to make an appearance, and then get Katy out of there before I did something to attract her attention to how I knew I'd react to seeing Bella tonight. Now Carlisle was expecting me to stay to lookout for Alice, and I'd promised I would. I'd have to find another way to keep them apart or keep Katy from blowing up again.

I showered and shaved, and then went and got dressed for the party. I wore a pair of dark black designer jeans, a navy blue linen button down dress shirt, and a casual looking black sport coat. I knew why Bella and Alice had gone out of the house dressed the way they were. Jessica had wanted to do something racy and daring for her birthday since her parents were out of town for the weekend in Portland, visiting relatives. Alice and Jessica had come up with a nightclub theme, and had told everyone to dress like they were going out on the town to party. I was really curious to see what Katy had come up with to wear tonight.

I made sure I was well stocked with party supplies before I left, and dipped into my stash in the closet and grabbed a couple of extra baggies from the latest shipment from Jacob. My good pipe, check. New screen, check, plenty of smokables, check. Extra lighter, check. I was good to go, and this party should be memorable. Besides, if I knew Alice, she'd have something planned for tonight, anyhow, but it paid to be prepared.

I went downstairs and told Carlisle goodnight. I went out to the garage, and got in the Volvo to drive to Katy's house to pick her up. I pulled into the driveway and parked, and went up to the porch and rang the doorbell. The door opened seconds later, and Katy stepped out the door. She was wearing a long camel colored wool trench coat that was buttoned to her neck and belted around her waist. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the car, hurrying down the steps.

"C'mon, Edward, let's hurry up and get out of here, before mom realizes I changed outfits. She wouldn't let me out of the house if she knew what I'm wearing to the party."

She practically ran to the car, and I opened the door and helped her in, and then ran around and got in. Now I was really curious to see what she was wearing under the coat, but I could wait until we got to Jessica's. I started the car, and we left before anyone came out to check on us. We didn't really have far to go get to Jessica's house.

The Stanley's lived in one of the original old Victorians built along the shores of the Quillayute River by the timber barons that had originally settled Forks. The house was secluded, standing alone along the river, without any nearby neighbors to be disturbed by loud music. It was just north of the more modern tract of houses where Katy's family lived. I followed the path out of Katy's neighborhood, but turned north onto the private road that led out to the Stanley's house.

Jessica's house was a big sprawling two story home, with a columned porch and a large detached garage building. Jessica lived here alone with her parents now. Her older sister had gone off to college when Jessica started her freshman year in high school, and her parents were visiting her brother and his family in Portland this weekend. Jessica's parents knew she was having this party this weekend, and had given their permission with some restrictions. I hadn't heard all the details, but I was interested to see how they were going to work this.

The private road and the driveway in front of the house were crowded with parked cars, and we had to park down the street from the house. I got out and went around and opened Katy's door, and helped her out of the car. There were no sidewalks, and I had to help her back out to the street so we could walk up to the house. She was wearing strappy platform sandals with about a four inch stiletto heel. She held onto my arm as we went back around the car to the street, and she balanced on the balls of her feet so her heels wouldn't sink into the soft ground. She was a little unstable and held tight to my arm, but she successfully made her way across the uneven ground to the pavement.

Katy held my arm as we walked up to the house and then up the steps to the door. I was surprised to see Bella's friend Emmett standing next to the door. He was wearing a black t-shirt with security across the front in big block letters, as he stood there with his arms crossed on his chest. I noticed that his eyes were like Bella's and Jasper's. They were a dark golden butterscotch color, like Bella's had been that first day at school.

"Hey, Edward, glad you could make it. Good race today!" Emmett said, "I thought that kid from Onalaska was gonna take you at the end, but you blew his doors off with that sprint finish! You should have seen the look on his face when you took off at the end of the race like that!"

"So you were at the race today! I thought I saw your car! What are you doing here tonight, Emmett?" I asked.

"Just what the shirt says," and he pointed at his security t-shirt. "They still teach read'n an' write'n in school these days, right? Now, I need your car keys, before you can go in. Come find me when you want to leave, and if you're still sober enough, then I'll giv'em back to you, or find someone to take you home."

"Ok," and I took out my car keys and handed then to Emmett. "How did they manage to hire you for the party tonight, Emmett?" I asked.

"A Volvo?" Emmett said as he took the keys. "I thought Bella said you were a badass, and rode a Harley? Where'd you pick up the soccer mom car?"

"It was my mom's car. My dad gave it to me when she passed away. You got a problem with that?"

"Sorry, Edward, there I go, shooting off my mouth again before I got all the facts… I guess this was one of the rules that Jessica's parents made to let her have the party. Nobody leaves and drives drunk tonight. Alice asked around, and I guess Bella gave her my number. I do this kind of work, and it sounded like a fun gig. Now you kids get in there, and have fun," Emmett opened the door for us.

"Thanks Emmett, see'ya later. No hard feelings. Besides, backseats come in handy sometimes," and I winked at him as we started to go in.

He chuckled, "yeah, I guess so. Hey, Edward, remember what I told you, no offense, but it's good advice." He looked Katy up and down and smiled as he shook his head, and closed the door behind us.

"What the hell was that all about?" Katy asked. "I thought you said you didn't know him when we were at the football game last week?"

"I didn't when you asked me. We talked when I went to the restroom last Friday at the game, and he was at the cross country meet in Tenino on Thursday. He considers himself to be Bella Swan's big brother."

"Is there anything else I should know that you aren't telling me?" Katy asked as I helped her out of her coat. There was a big coat closet next to the door, and I hung up her coat for her.

"Probably, but let's forget about all of that, and just have fun tonight, ok?" I asked as I looked her up and down, and smiled as I admired her outfit.

Katy was wearing a tropical turquoise blue cotton spandex Sweetheart strapless bra top dress with twist front bandeau styling and empire waist. It hugged her curves but was looser around her legs, and covered her from the top curve of her breasts to a couple of inches below her ass, with the lower two thirds of her thighs showing. It covered her about the same as if she'd wrapped a towel around herself after stepping out of the shower, but the dress was form fitting and hugged her curves in all the right places and had built in support so she didn't need to wear a bra with it.

"Wow," I said as I admired her outfit, or lack there of. "I like. You're right; your mom never would have let you out of the house in that."

"C'mon, Edward, Let's get out of the doorway, and see what Alice and Jessica managed to come up with."

We went into the living room, and it looked like some of the furniture from the family room had been moved in here and rearranged. The lights were turned down low, and there were a couple of extra couches than I remembered from the last time I was here. They were arranged for conversation and a couple for more privacy. There was a crowd of people milling around in the living room talking in groups. Some were sitting on the couches, and others were moving through the room. Off to one side of the room, it looked like there was a bar setup in the study, and I could hear loud music coming from the family room in the other direction. There was a couple curled up together on one of the love seats, and I did a double take, when I realized it was Angela Webber and Ben Cheney wrapped up together making out on the couch.

I took Katy's hand, and we headed towards the music. We were almost to the family room, when Alice spotted us and came over to say hi. She was wearing a purple sweater dress, with a pattern of different width horizontal black stripes across the top half of the dress. It was form fitting and clung to her body and hugged her hips. It was just as short as Katy's dress, but had three-quarter length sleeves, with cutouts around the shoulders to give a peek-a-boo effect and show off more skin. She had to practically yell in my ear so I could hear her over the music.

"Hey, Edward, it's about time you showed up! I thought you were going to try and skip out on the party!"

"I told you I'd come. So, what's the layout? What have you got going on?"

"Jasper's playing bartender for me in the study, and making sure nobody gets into the Stanley's liquor cabinet, but he brought plenty to keep us going tonight. He has some drinking games in there, if you're looking to catch a quick buzz and want to feel no pain, or want a ride home tonight. Dancing in the Family room. There's a keg out on the patio, and there's beer pong setup out there too. There's munchies in the dining room. If you go upstairs later, stay out if the rooms locked, otherwise feel free to get your freak on. I have to go check on Jasper, have fun!"

"Thanks, Alice. You have fun too, ok?" she waved goodbye, and disappeared into the crowd.

I held onto Katy's hand, and started toward the family room again. The room lights were turned down, but there were bright colored lights flashing in time to the music and a mirrored disco ball hanging in the middle of the room with a colored light shining on it to reflect out in random directions. Eric Yorkie was playing DJ, and he had a professional looking sound system setup. The furniture had been moved out of the room, and the dance floor was full as people moved to the beat of the music.

I could see the sliding glass door across the room that led out to the patio, and I pulled Katy with me as I merged into the crowd, and we made our way across the room through the writhing bodies moving to the pounding beat and the colored light show. We got to the sliding glass door, and stepped out onto the patio, and I saw Mike and Tyler manning the keg. We went over, and they handed us each a plastic cup of beer.

This was part of the revised plan, now that Carlisle expected me to stay at the party to look out for Alice. I needed to get Katy feeling no pain, so she wouldn't inflict any on me. The party looked fun so far, but we hadn't run into Bella yet either. Katy wouldn't drink liquor, until she'd had a couple of beers. I was considering beer pong to get the night rolling, but then I noticed the tug in my stomach coming from where the beer pong table was setup. I looked over, and sure enough, Bella Swan was at the beer pong table.

She was playing single against a pair, and had two empty mugs setup on the corners of the table. Her opponents never scored a point, but she scored three times in a row, and dropped the ball into Michaela's cup as I watched. Michaela fished out the ball and chugged the rest of the beer in the glass, and then somebody set a fresh cup in its place. I tore my eyes away before Katy could notice, and took a drink of my beer.

"So, Mike, Tyler, where's the action tonight?" I asked.

"Man, it's a good thing that big guy is collecting all the car keys at the door," Tyler said. "Some people are going to get seriously fucked up tonight!"

"Seriously, man," Mike said, "Bella Swan is destroying all comers at the beer pong table. She was playing doubles with Alice, but she's still winning solo. Jasper's got a serious drinking game setup inside. Dude, this party is so cool!"

"If it's so cool, where are Jessica and Lauren, and why are you out here pouring beer, instead of partying with them?" Katy asked as she grinned at them.

"Alice went to go find our replacements to take over for us," Tyler said. "Jessica and Lauren are in dancing, I think."

Just then, Alice showed up with a couple of football players.

"Ok, Mike, Tyler, get out of here and go have fun." She turned to the two new guys. "Ok, you pour and don't let anybody fool around, got it?" they nodded. "Cool, the other kegs in the garage if you need it. Tell me if you run out, and we'll get it setup." She waved at us, and then went back over to the beer pong table with Bella.

I turned to Katy, "so, what sounds like fun? Want to try out Jaspers drinking game, or do you want to dance?" I asked Katy.

"Get me a refill, then let's go dance," Katy said, the smile wide on her face as she let herself go and enjoyed the night. She'd seen me ignore Bella as I tore my gaze away from her, and I was staring at her again as she stood there half-naked, practically begging me to touch her.

She'd already finished her first beer, and I got her a refill. I topped off my cup, and then we went back inside.

We made our way onto the dance floor, and let the music move us. We moved through the press of bodies surging against Katy's excuse for a dress to the center of the room. I let myself go as the pounding beat of the loud music reached deep into the core of my being and set me in motion to move in time with the electric rhythm. I rocked my hips, and Katy smiled, ignoring of the crowd of people writhing around our bodies as we surrendered to the dance.

Eric kept the music coming as one song flowed into the next and Katy's face swam before me as we moved like one creature to the influence of the music. Sweat dripped from our bodies and Katy's white teeth glinted in a wild smile as the beat pounded through us and moved us. My fears about my relationship with Katy and the mystery of Bella Swan were forgotten for the moment in the sheer exhilaration which swept through my body as we twisted and turned together.

Katy's arms coiled lithely as the music led them and she quivered and shuddered with the pounding beat from the speakers. She twisted, panting, sweat beading on her brow as she moved like a free spirit in the press of bodies. I could see the perspiration beading her lips and the curve of her breasts.

The cotton spandex clung to her breasts, stretched taut over the erect nipples, and I ached to reach out and caress her pert breast, so sinfully exposed, yet concealed by the slip of a dress that she wore. Reaching out my hand, I took her fingers in my own and pulled her to me. So close was she to me that I felt her breath upon my mouth, saw her pupils dilate.

Suddenly she was pressed against me, her body hot and damp from the dancing. She looked into my eyes and I felt my mouth fall open at the intensity of her gaze. My fingers, succeeding in the task they had been longing to accomplish, pulled her close to me, forcing her against my hardness, letting her feel how aroused I had become by her movements. She gasped in a little breath, the sound arousing me as I ground my body against her and she writhed against me.

I leaned into her and pressed my lips to her ear, "I need you, I need you now. Let's go look upstairs."

Katy moaned against my neck, but I felt her shake her head yes. I wrapped my arm around her, and guided us off the dance floor as we made our way to the stairs. I held he close as we went up the stairs and into the darkened hallway. Another couple passed us going back to join the party and I held out hope that we'd find the privacy we so desired.

I tried the first door that we came to, but it was locked, as was the door across the hall. We moved on, and the next door was open, but when I looked in, there was a couple on the bed fucking as a group of people stood around the room intently watching. Not my thing at all and we moved on. The door across the hall was locked, but the next door opened when I tried it. The room was dark and empty. I pulled Katy inside, and carefully locked the door behind us, not wanting to become part of the entertainment for the evening.

I pulled Katy into my arms, and our lips met. She was insistent and hungry, and I felt her tongue pressing against my lips demanding entry. I parted my lips and Katy thrust her tongue into my mouth. I explored her tongue as it moved in my mouth, slick and sweet and velvety as our kiss deepened. My lips moved on Katy's, and she reached up and tangled her fingers in my hair as she pulled herself closer. I held her tight to me with one arm, as I reached up with the other hand to squeeze her and stroke her firm breast.

Katy moaned against my lips and broke the kiss to catch her breath. I glanced up to take in the layout of the darkened room and I spied my goal behind Katy, the bed across the room nearer the door in the wall dividing this room from the next. I recognized this room now from previous visits to Jessica's house. This used to be Jessica's sisters room, before she went off to college, but it was a guest room now. The door in the wall was a bathroom between this room and the other guest bedroom. The hallway doors to the bathroom and the other guest room had been locked, so we shouldn't have to worry about anybody walking in on us.

I started to walk us towards the bed, as Katy backed across the room, and she let me guide her as her lips planted wet open mouthed kisses on my neck and cheek. We crossed to the bed, and to my surprise, I could sense Bella as I moved across the room toward the bed and the closed bathroom door in the wall from the tugging sensation in my stomach. I felt jealousy flash through me as I fleetingly wondered who Bella was in the other guest room with. The moment passed, and I pushed it out of my head as backs of Katy's knees came in contact with the edge of the bed and I lowered her onto the mattress.

Katy had a sultry seductive look on her face as she scooted back to the middle of the bed, and I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my jacket and dropped it on the floor. I crawled onto the bed as I looked at Katy resting back on her elbows watching me.

I grabbed her ankles as I moved on to the bed, and my hands stroked up her shapely muscular legs as I moved between them onto the bed. My hands gently spread her knees to give me room to move between them, and then my hands stroked up her thighs as I pushed her dress up off of her legs.

Katy arched her back, and raised her ass off the bed as I pushed her dress up to gather around her waist. Then I reached for the tiny triangle of fabric that covered my prize. I pulled her thong to the side, exposing her hot wet pussy, and I leaned forward and kissed her between her legs.

I reached for her and spread her lips with my fingers, as my tongue snaked out and licked up her center to her clit. I ran my tongue over Katy's hot sex, not too hard to be abrasive or too light to tease and flutter, but just the right amount of pressure that I knew would drive Katy crazy.

"Oh baby…So good…" Katy panted.

I dipped my hot tongue into her opening then back up to stroke her throbbing pearl. I repeated this for a while as Katy moaned and shuddered.

"God, that's fucking amazing… Oh, don't stop…" Katy bucked her hips forward to me as I licked her and she writhed and shuddered on the bed.

"God yes… More please… God! Don't stop now!" She whined as I reached under her ass with my free hand and grabbed the elastic band of her thong, and pulled it down off her butt. I leaned back for a minute and pulled her panties down her thighs, and she raised her legs to let me pull them down and off over her shoes and tossed them onto the floor with my jacket.

I reached for her ankle to unbuckle the strap, but Katy growled, impatient for me to continue what I'd started. She reached for me and tangled her fingers in my hair and pulled my face back between her legs to onto her hot sex and my tongue delved back between her lips and found her throbbing clit.

The tug in my stomach was gone now, and had been replaced by the dull ache in my chest, but I ignored it as I reached for Katy's entrance with my hand. I stroked her to wet my fingers with the juices freely flowing from her, and started to press two fingers into her hot wet pussy.

"Oh My God!!! Fuck…Edward! Oh god…Edward…"

I felt Katy's fingers tangled in my hair gripping my head press me tighter against her as I stroked my fingers in and out of her, and I moved up and sucked her clit between my lips as I flicked the sensitive bundle of nerves with my tongue.

"God…I'm almost there! Right there…Shit…Edward…"

Katy was pressing my head hard against her pussy as she panted and moaned my name. She bucked against me, but I held her pressed down against the mattress as I licked her and stroked my fingers into her hot wet core.

"Edward I'm gonna… Baby I'm almost there…"

"Edward! Oh god…I'm there!"

Katy was moaning my name, then I felt a strong shudder pass through her, and she clenched around my fingers thrust deep inside her as her muscles contracted. I held my tongue still as I pressed it against her pulsing clit as she came hard.

I got up on my knees as Katy recovered, and quickly unbuttoned my shirt front and cuffs, and then pulled it of and tossed it onto the pile of my jacket.

Katy sat up as I pulled off my shirt, and wrapped her arms around me as her lips searched for mine. Her arms snaked up around my neck and her fingers tangled in my hair as she pulled my face down to hers. I tilted my head to the side to accommodate her, and our lips crashed together as our tongues twined and danced and slipped against one another.

Katy pulled me back down onto the bed with her and I rolled us to our sides so I wouldn't crush her under my weight. Her lips were forceful and insistent as our tongues danced and wrestled and slipped against each other. She pushed me back as we kissed until she was over me and I rested back on my shoulder as we made out.

I reached up and pulled down the top of Katy's dress, freeing her breasts from the built in cups, leaving her essentially naked except for the band of fabric gathered around her stomach. My strong hands cupped Katy's breasts, and my thumbs stroked her hard nipples. She moaned into the kiss, and pressed herself harder against my hands.

"God Edward… Your hands feel so good…" She moaned as she pressed against my hands.

I felt Katy's hands at the front of my jeans, pulling my belt open. Then she unsnapped my pants and zipped down my fly. Her hands gripped the top of my pants, and she started to work them down as she tugged firmly.

I raised my hips to accommodate her, and she pulled my jeans and boxers down all at once, exposing my hard cock. Katy scooted down the bed to work my pants down my legs and pull them off, and they joined the pile on the floor. My erection sprang free and slapped back against my stomach as it came free of the confines of my boxers and jeans.

Katy wrapped her hand around my hard cock and stroked up and down the length of my erection as she moved back up the bed between my legs. She reached for my balls, hanging at the base of my cock, and gently gripped my sack as she moved my balls inside of it with her warm fingers.

"I am gonna help my dad cut these off if you don't stay good…" She teased. "But I have better things to do with them tonight," and she leaned down and put her mouth on my sack, kissing my balls. Then she sucked my ball into her mouth, and I could feel her move it in her mouth with her warm wet tongue. She let go of the first ball, then sucked in the other one and gave it the same treatment.

"God yes… Katy… God that's fucking great…"

She looked up at my eyes as I looked down at her with hooded eyes, then she moved between my legs and leaned in and kissed the head of my cock. Her tongue flicked out and licked around my cock head. I closed my eyes as her hands and mouth worked on me, and then I felt her suck my hard cock into her mouth.

"God Katy… That's good… Oh god… Katy…" I moaned as she sucked and stroked my hard cock.

Katy's lips moved down my length as her head pushed down on my hard cock until the head brushed against the back of her throat. She pulled back before she started to gag and then she began to bob up and down on my cock, swirling her tongue around me as she stroked the base and length of my cock with her hot hands.

I threw my head back and moaned as Katy's mouth and hands move on my hard cock. The feeling was incredible as my cock plunged deep into her mouth. She'd pull back until her lips were pressed around the head and then back down deep as I pressed against the back of her throat.

"Come up here, I need you now," I told her as I reached for her.

I was getting close to coming, but I didn't want to finish in Katy's mouth. I knew I'd recover soon and we could continue, but we were still at a party, and I didn't want to be gone too long. I reached down for Katy and pulled her up into my arms and kissed her deeply as she spread her legs and straddled my hips.

Katy placed her hands against my chest and pushed herself upright. She ground herself against my hard cock. It slipped between her pussy lips as she rubbed herself along my length as she worked her hips against me.

I grasped her hips lifting her, and Katy rose up on her knees hovering above me. She reached back with one hand and grasped my cock, rubbing the head against her clit and shuddered with pleasure as it moved against her sensitive bundle of nerves. Then she moved my cock head back and pressed it against her entrance.

"God yes… Edward… God that's fucking amazing…" Katy moaned as she started to lower her hips onto mine as my cock started to press up into her.

She bit her lip as she sank down and let her weight settle on me as I filled her. I used my hands on her hips to move her on me and she rose up sliding on my cock. I rocked my hips to thrust up into her as she slammed back down and ground her hips against me. We fell into a rhythm as our movements became more frantic, Katy moving as my hands guided her and I slammed her from below.

"God, Edward… I love you so much baby…" Katy moaned.

She lowered herself to my chest and I felt her lips on my nipple as she placed open mouthed kisses on my chest. I was still rocking my hips thrusting into her, but it was harder to thrust into her now as she lay against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, and rolled us over as I moved on top her but my cock slipped out of her as we moved to the new position.

Then suddenly, I could sense Bella again from the tugging sensation in my stomach and I looked across the room toward the closed bathroom door in the wall. The light was off, but the door was cracked open now. I couldn't see her in the darkened room, but I could feel her watching. Maybe I should have stopped, but if she wanted to watch, I hope she enjoyed the show.

"Tell me you want me to fuck you!" I ordered her.

"Oh my god… Baby please… Edward fuck me! I need you inside… Please…" She begged me.

I thought I could hear a low whimper come from the bathroom, but Katy was too far gone to notice and I smiled as I thought about Bella standing in the dark watching. Was she just a voyeur, or maybe she was enjoying the show?

I reached my hands under Katy's knees and lifted them and pushed them back against the sides of her chest. Katy held her knees back with her hands and I reached down and moved my cock back to her opening. I pushed my cock into her in one long stroke and buried myself to the hilt in her hot sex.

I thrust into Katy, pounding into her hard and fast as she moaned my name. It was hot and slick as the walls of her tight pussy gripped my hard cock tight as I pulled back and rocked my hips forward into her.

"Edward… Oh god… Edward… Oh god… Yess…"

I thrust deeply into her as I buried myself to the hilt inside her slick heat over and over. My pubic bone ground against her clit, with each thrust I set up a rhythm as I started to move inside of her lifting my hips and then rocking back into her. Was that a low growl coming from the bathroom door?

"God Katy… you're so tight… So good…" I groaned as I started to move deep inside her.

"Oh god… Oh god… Edward fuck me!" She moaned as I thrust into her hot pussy.

I pulled back and rocked my hips forward thrusting into her slick wet heat, moving faster as she held her legs back exposing herself so I could thrust deeper into her and her body shuddered as we moved together. Katy rocked her hips to meet my thrusts, and we crashed together as our bodies moved to the rhythm of our love making.

There were sounds coming from the bathroom. I was sure there were, but it sounded like a low heavy growl now but I ignored it.

"Oh god… Edward Harder! Baby… Fuck me… Fuck me hard!" Katy groaned.

I rested my weight on my arms as I pressed my hips against hers and I hammered into her, thrusting hard and fast over her with as legs moved onto my shoulders and her hands gripped the sheet as she threw her head back and panted my name.

The sounds coming from the bathroom were still quiet, but it sounded like wood straining under pressure along with the growl now.

God… Edward… I'm gonna… Baby I'm almost there!" she moaned getting louder as she got closer to the edge.

Katy bit her lip to muffle her cries. Her hands clawed at the bed as her pussy clenched hard around my solid cock and her legs went rigid against me on my body as her orgasm carried her away.

The tug in my stomach was strong but it started slack off as though it was moving away as it played at the edge of my awareness.

"Uhnn… Uhnn… God… Katy! I'm gonna… Uhnn… I'm almost there…" I panted as I plunged into her hot sex!

I was on the edge, and began thrusting more urgently as I felt the tingling at the base of my cock in my balls and I knew I was going to come. I thrust hard a couple more times and then buried myself to the hilt inside her hot throbbing pussy as I shot my come deep inside Katy. The orgasm ripped through me and I felt my dick pulse as my hot juice flooded into her.

The tug in my stomach was gone now. I looked up and the door was closed, but it didn't look like it was hanging straight now, and the tug had been replaced by the dull ache in my chest, but I ignored it as I held Katy.

After a minute, I pulled out slowly and lay down next to her pulling her into my arms spooning against her back. I reached over and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and caressed her cheek as I held her and we basked in the after glow, just enjoying the feel of our bodies pressed together on the bed for a couple of minutes.

"Katy, love, I'm going to go to the restroom," I whispered in her ear, "can I get you anything?" I asked.

"No, Edward," Katy said as she lay there contented. "I'll go clean up when you're done."

"Ok, love. I want to try Jasper's game when we go back downstairs," I said as I started to get up.

"Ok, Edward," Katy said as I walked to the bathroom door.

I cracked the door open, but I didn't feel anything at first. I looked at the door, and the edge of the door was cracked. It looked like somebody had been holding the edge as they peered into the room, and there was a mark where it looked like the wood had been gripped so tight that it was crushed and splintered. I placed my hand on the door, but the mark was from a hand much smaller than mine. I wouldn't have been able to squeeze the wood tight enough to cause a pressure fracture, but the mark was there.

I went in and closed the door. I started to move into the room and gradually I could sense Bella from the tugging sensation in my stomach as I moved across the room toward the closed door to the adjoining guest room. Jealousy flared in me again as I thought of Bella in that other room, and I had to know who she was with. I knew she had been watching me, and I figured what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and silently I cracked the door open to peek into the room.

It was dark and I couldn't make out details at first, but there were bodies moving on the bed and I knew one of them was Bella Swan. There was heavy breathing and moans, and the definite sounds of licking and slurping. I had first hand knowledge fresh in my mind, and I knew what was going on. It sounded like whoever was on the receiving end of that tongue was getting close.

"God, that's fucking amazing… Oh, don't stop…" NO! FUCKING! WAY!

It had to be my imagination! Incredulously, I pushed the door open a little further and tried to see for sure. There was a naked girl lying back on the bed with her knees pulled back, but she was too small to be Bella.

"Oh My God!!! Fuck…Bella! Oh god…Bella…"

Alice? Oh! My! God! Alice! Suddenly jealousy wasn't the only emotion I had to deal with anymore as I watched the tableau unfold before my shocked eyes. The other body moving between her legs was pale white with long dark hair. I could make out the gentle curves and the swell of her hips and it was her! It Was Her! Bella and Alice? Oh my god!

"Bella I'm gonna… Baby I'm almost there…"

"Oh god Bella! …I'm there!" Alice keened as she shook on the bed.

I shut the door and stepped back in shock as she came hard and the orgasm rocked through her petite body. No way!

Conflicting emotions raged through me and I didn't know if I should be jealous, turned on, sick or angry. The part of me that was connected to Bella told me to be jealous, but the teen-aged boy was turned on at the thought of watching two girls together. I was a little sick at seeing my sister naked, because I really did think of her as a sister in a healthy way and another part of me was angry because she was my sister and I was supposed to be looking out for her. At least she looked like she was enjoying herself, so I didn't barge in and try and break things up. That would have been rude and hypocritical considering what I'd been doing in the next room.

I flipped on the light switch and went to the sink and splashed some cold water in my face. Then I turned on the hot water until the water ran warm and got a washcloth and cleaned up from having sex with Katy. I hadn't used the toilet, but I flushed it, for the sound effect to cover for how long I'd spent in the bathroom watching the scene in the next room, and then I walked back out into the room with Katy.

She was standing next to the bed smoothing out her dress, holding her panties in her hand as I came back in. She had pulled the bra top back up to cover her breasts, and the skirt was hanging back down over her hips again.

"I was about to come look for you, and see if you fell in," Katy joked as I walked through the door.

"It's all yours, let me get dressed, and we can go back downstairs."

"Ok, I'll just be a minute. I need to wash-up and dry off before I put my panties back on," Katy said and walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

I got dressed, and Katy came back out of the bathroom as I was pulling on my jacket. I reached for her as she came to me and kissed her passionately, but she pushed in back after a minute and grinned at me.

"I thought you wanted to go back downstairs? I'm gonna drag you back into bed for our own private party if you keep that up, Edward."

"Ok, I'm hungry and want to grab a snack, although the thought of just eating you all night is appealing too." Katy gave a little shudder, but it looked like she thought the idea had merit from the grin on her face. "Let's go grab another beer, and then we can go see what Jasper has going on," I said. I took her hand and we went to the door before she could decide to just stay up here all night.

I unlocked the door, and we went back downstairs to the party. Things were still rolling along as we walked back into the living room. Angela and Ben weren't on the couch anymore, but Connor and Katy Marshall, the redhead that lived around the corner from Bella were making out on the couch in the corner now. It looked like Connor had his hand up under her skirt and she sat twined in his lap with their lips pressed together, and I grinned and looked away.

"I wonder if we should send them upstairs," Katy asked with a grin as she saw where I was looking.

I just laughed, and shook my head. I pulled her the long way around through the kitchen and into the dining room where the munchies were laid out. Alice had done an excellent job, and there was still food laid out on the table and some of it was still warm. There had been a couple of girls I didn't recognize in the kitchen wearing aprons, and I assumed that they were in charge of making sure that the snacks kept rolling out as long as people kept eating them.

I wondered how much Jessica had spent on this party, but then I noticed something odd. The two girls in the kitchen were both good looking, and a bit older than the kids at the party. Probably college girls, but they were wearing matching necklaces, and I recognized the design. It looked like the family crest on Bella's necklace and Jasper's motorcycle jacket, but it was a little different. It had the crossed swords and the fist between the points, but the background was quartered in red and silver instead of gold and silver, and the three green shamrocks across the bottom were missing. There was a single red heart below the handles of the swords, instead of the row of shamrocks.

It looked like Bella had helped Alice arrange to have Emmett cover security. I wondered if she'd gotten her a deal on the catering as well.

I let go of Katy's hand, and we each got a paper plate and collected a selection of snacks. There were bagel bites, and some miniature bacon and spinach quiches. Hot wings and pizza cut up into bite size pieces. There were a couple of trays of cold cuts, a vegetable platter with dip and of course a variety of chips and dip.

Katy and I went back out onto the patio through the French doors from the dining room, and we found a table to sit down where we had a view of the beer pong table. I set down my plate, and went over to get us each another beer. I came back to the table and set our beers down. I sat beside Katy, and we ate while we watched the beer pong game.

"So, are you feeling lucky?" Katy asked when we were about done as she eyed the beer pong game.

"I think I already got lucky," I whispered in her ear as I leaned in with a smirk.

She blushed and pushed me away. "You know what I mean, do you want to try the game?" she said with a grin.

I looked at the beer pong setup a little dubiously, and raised an eyebrow. "This'll be going on all night, as long as people can still stand up, or the cops come. I want to go see what Jasper has setup inside, we always play beer pong at these parties."

"Ok," Katy said with a bit of a pout. "We can go try Jasper's game, but then you have to come be my partner at beer pong, ok?"

"If you can still walk on your own, your wish is my command. C'mon, let's go."

We went back to the keg, and I refilled Katy's beer and topped up my own. Then we cut through the dance party in the family room on our way to the bar in the study. There was a group of people around a table on one side of the room, and Jasper Whitlock was standing there shuffling a deck of cards. Mike and Jessica, Tyler and Lauren, and John and Teri were standing there watching when Katy and I walked up, and we said hi. Mike looked like he was a little unstable, and Jessica was leaning on him to stay standing up as Tyler and John teased them. From the sound of it, they'd lost in the last game.

There was a large empty glass tumbler standing in the middle of the table, and a small wad of cash next it. Jasper started to deal the cards, laying them on the table face down in a square grid until he had the whole deck laid out around the tumbler in the middle.

"Hey, Jasper," I said as we walked up. "So what's this game and how do you play?" I asked.

"This is a little game my friends and I play called 'kings and blood'," Jasper said. "I changed a couple of rules for this crowd, but people seem to be having fun."

"Ok, how do you play? I asked, wondering what rules he'd had to change.

"It's simple really. You take turns flipping over a card. If you draw a red card, you take a drink. Beer is ok for that tonight, but no sips, a real drink. If you draw a face card, then you do a shot," he indicated several bottles of liquor next to him. "Or you can buy out by throwing something into the pot, either cash or something else you value. "I think there are still some IOU's from a couple of girls in there." He winked at me and Katy frowned. If you draw a king, then you name the poison, and we add a shot to the tumbler. If you draw the fourth king, we add the shot of your choice, and you have to drink the tumbler. If you chug it down, then you win the pot. If you can't then you have to finish it, but the pot stays in the middle for the next game."

I turned to Katy, "So, are you game? Want to give it a go?" I asked.

Katy frowned. "Will you be on my team, Edward?" Katy asked.

"Sorry, darlin, no teams," Jasper said. "You can play as a team, but then you both have to drink when you each flip a card. You're on your own here, if you've got the cojones for it."

"So who's been playing this game tonight?" I asked, as Katy started to shy away from the table.

"Bella and Alice were in here earlier," Tyler volunteered.

"Yeah, Alice bought her way out of a shot, and threw an IOU into the pot. I was shocked." Teri said. "I didn't think Alice was like that."

"Well, Bella Swan won that game, so she probably gave it back to her," Lauren said, "but damn that girl can drink! She was doing shots for the red cards instead of beer, and downed the tumbler like pop when she drew the fourth king! Of course I haven't seen Bella or Alice around for a while, so maybe she's passed out somewhere now."

Katy stepped back up to the table now, and I could see her eyes flash as Lauren talked about how well Bella had done in the game. I could almost read her mind, If Bella could do it, and play this game, then she sure as hell could too!

"OK, I'm in," Katy said. Then she turned to me. "If you win, I get those IOU's, right?"

"Only if I get to watch," I teased her.

"I'm not going to collect on them, and neither are you!" Katy said, playfully hitting my arm.

"Ok, I'm in too," I said.

Jasper looked around the table, and everybody else nodded.

"Ok, somebody go first then," Jasper said. "Game stays open 'til somebody draws the first king, then no new players 'til this game's over."

I looked around, and nobody looked like they were ready to make a move, so I reached down and flipped over a card, a three of clubs, so I was still in the clear. Katy flipped over a 4 of hearts and took a drink of her beer. The play proceeded around the table, and Tyler flipped a red card and took a drink, but the rest came up black and then it was my turn again.

I flipped over the 6 of diamonds, and took a drink of beer. Then Katy flipped the 5 of clubs and was clear this time around. Mike and Jessica flipped the 5 and 6 of hearts and each took a drink. Tyler flipped the jack of diamonds, and asked for a shot of Jack Daniels, Jasper poured and he tossed it back and set the shot glass back on the table. Lauren flipped the three of diamonds and drank her beer. John flipped the nine of hearts and took a drink, but Teri pulled the queen of spades and Jasper poured her a shot of tequila.

I waited until she was sucking on the wedge of lime, and went back to studying the table to make my next choice to start the third round when a pale white hand reached out flipped over the king of hearts.

"Everclear 190," I heard Bella say and Jasper poured a shot glass full to the brim, and poured it into the tumbler in the middle of the table.

I hadn't even heard them come in, but Bella and Alice were standing next to Mike and Jessica now, and Katy didn't seem pleased that they had joined the game.

"Ok, games closed now," Jasper said. "Edward, you're up."

I looked over the cards, and made my selection. The 2 of hearts, how ironic, but I drank my beer and waited for Katy to choose. Katy drew the queen of hearts and turned a little green, but asked for a shot of tequila like Teri, licked the salt, tossed it back and bit down on the wedge of lime as she squeezed my hand.

Mike drew the seven of clubs, and Jessica pulled the two of spades, and they were clear this round. Tyler drew the ace of diamonds and drank his beer, and Lauren flipped the nine of diamonds and took a drink. John flipped the ten of spades and passed, but Teri flipped the jack and asked for another shot of tequila. Bella flipped the five of diamonds, but she didn't have a beer. She asked for a shot of Jack Daniels, and tossed it back.

I flipped over the jack of diamonds to start the fourth round, and asked for a shot of Jack Daniels, and tossed it back. We were past the halfway point in the deck now, and there were three shots and three kings left. Katy flipped a card, and I heard her groan. It was the queen of clubs, and she downed another shot of tequila.

Mike flipped the eight of hearts and took a drink. Jessica flipped the ace of clubs and was clear. Tyler flipped the ace of hearts and took a drink, and Lauren flipped the three of spades and passed. John flipped the ten of diamonds and took a drink, and Teri flipped the two of clubs and breathed out a sigh of relief.

Bella flipped the king of clubs, and said, "Everclear 190," and Jasper poured another shot into the tumbler.

This was getting close to the end now; most of the deck was gone. I flipped a card, and drew the ace of spades and passed. Katy reached out and flipped a card, and groaned again. The jack of clubs, and she threw back her third shot of tequila. She was leaning on me more now, and seemed like she was a little less stable on her feet as she started to feel the effects of the liquor.

Mike and Jessica drew black cards and passed. Tyler flipped the two of diamonds, and took a drink. Lauren flipped the seven of hearts and took a drink. John flipped the ten of hearts, and took a drink. Teri groaned when she flipped the queen of diamonds, and tossed back another shot of tequila.

There were nine cards left and two kings. Bella reached out and flipped a card, the king of diamonds.

"Everclear 190," she said, and Jasper poured a third shot into the tumbler in the middle of the table.

Eight cards left, and it was my turn. I flipped a card. The ten of clubs, I was clear again.

Seven cards left, and it was Katy's turn. She reached and flipped a card, "Shit," she swore. She drew the king of spades.

"Name your poison, darlin, then it's to you," Jasper said with a grim look as he waited for Katy to speak.

"Shit, might as well stick with what I know. Jose Cuervo," Katy said, and Jasper poured the shot and dumped it into the tumbler. Then he set the tumbler down in front of Katy and everybody looked at her expectantly. Most of the shots we'd been drinking were eighty proof liquor, but there were three shots of Everclear 190 in the tumbler. They had more alcohol than six of the eighty proof drinks. That tumbler would be like chugging seven or eight shots all at once.

"Katy, you don't have to drink that, you'll hurt yourself," I said

"Would she drink it?" She nodded her head toward Bella, and we all knew who she meant.

"She did in the game she won," Lauren chimed in, with a cold calculating look on her face as she waited to see if Katy would do it.

"God, I'm going to regret this." Then she made like she was doing another shot of tequila. She poured salt on the back of her hand, took a deep breath, licked it off, and picked up the tumbler of Everclear 190 and tequila and chugged it down without stopping to take a breath. She looked like she was going to gag and spew it back up, but she bit down on a wedge of lime and clamped her jaw shut as the liquor burned in her gut.

"We have a winner!" Jasper exclaimed, and collected the pot in the middle of the table, and made to hand the wad of cash to Katy, but her eyes were still closed and she was still biting down on the lime.

Katy took the lime out of her mouth, but she was leaning on me heavily. I took the handful of cash from Jasper, as I held Katy up. Jasper started to collect the cards, as more people were watching to start the next game.

"Edward, I need to go sit down," Katy said. I helped her into the living room, and we found a quiet spot on one of the couches to sit down.

"How are you doing, Katy? Are you alright?"

"I feel dizzy, Edward. The room feels like it's spinning around."

"Close you eyes, and sit back. Can I get you anything?"

"No… Can you find Michaela and Brittany for me? I think I might be sick…"

"Ok, wait here and I'll try and find them."

I got up to go find Katy's friends. She looked like she was ready to pass out, and I went to go look for Michaela and Brittany. I knew they weren't in the study, we'd just been in there ourselves and I hadn't seen them. I hadn't seen them here in the living room. I went to go look in the family room but I didn't see them and went out to the patio. I got lucky, and spotted Michaela watching the beer pong game on the patio. I hurried outside to talk to her.

"Hey, Michaela, I need your help. Where's Brittany?" I said when I got outside.

"She went for a walk with Dean, but they're around somewhere. What's up, Edward? Where's Katy?"

"We were playing that drinking game of Jasper's, and she won. She chugged the tumbler in the middle of the table, and she's seriously fucked up now. I think she's gonna be sick. She asked me to come find you."

"Shit, Edward! You know how she gets when she drinks! Where'd you leave her?"

"She's on the couch in the living room."

"Ok, c'mon let's go get her. You can help me get her to the bathroom."

We went back into the house, and Katy was passed out on the couch. She just moaned when I shook her shoulder.

"Jeez, Edward, how much did she have to drink?" Michaela asked

"About four shot of tequila but the rest of the tumbler was Everclear."

"Ok, pick her up if you have to, we need to get it out of her system, now."

I stood Katy up, and she just moaned, but I held her up and Michaela took her other arm so we could walk her to the bathroom. She started to come around as we walked, but she looked green and started to gag as we went through the bathroom door. We were lucky there wasn't a line and the room was empty. Michaela lifted the toilet seat and I held her hair as she threw up, but I felt relieved that she was getting most of the liquor out of her system.

"Go find Brittany, Edward. I'm going to need help with Katy," Michaela said.

"I can help you."

"Katy's supposed to sleep over at my house tonight. I think the parties over for her tonight. Brittany's staying tonight too. Just go find her, ok?"

"I want to help," I said.

"You've done enough tonight! Now get out of here, and go find Brittany!"

I got up to leave as Michaela ran water in the sink and wet a wash cloth to wipe Katy's face. I heard her throw up again as I shut the door. I went back out to the patio, and I didn't see Brittany or Dean, but Dean's buddy Tanner was watching the beer pong game. I went to ask if he'd seen Dean and Brittany.

"Hey, Tanner, Have you seen Brittany and Dean?" I asked as I walked over to where he was standing.

"They went for a walk on the trail down to the river a while ago, why?

"Katy's sick, and Michaela sent me to go find Brittany. Tell her Michaela wants her in the house, if you see her, ok? I'm gonna go see if I can find her."

"No problem, Edward. I hope Katy feels better."

"She'll be ok, just too much to drink. I think she's going to regret it in the morning."

Tanner smiled sympathetically, and I left to go down the trail to the river to go look for Brittany. I could hear the river running a short ways back behind the house. This was one of the calmer wider sections of the river, and it didn't rush and splash down rapids like some of the other wilder switchbacks. It was dark out, but there was a crescent moon in the sky, and the night was relatively clear. There were some low garden lights along the trial at widely spaced intervals to mark the path, but I didn't see anyone around.

The trail branched a short ways from the house, and I didn't know which way to go. I had a fifty-fifty chance, so I turned west. I kept jogging up the trail for about five minutes, and was thinking about heading back, when I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out, and the screen said it was Michaela so I answered the call.

"Hey, Michaela, is everything ok? How's' Katy?"

"_She's gonna be ok, Edward. Hey, Brittany got your message from Tanner, and she's at the house with us. We're gonna take Katy over to my house now, so she can sleep it off, ok?"_

"Do you need any help? Do you want me to drive you?"

"_No, Brittany and I can handle her. I've got my car, and the guy at the door already gave me back my keys. We'll see you later, ok?"_

"Yeah, I guess so. Can I say goodbye to Katy?"

"_I'll hold the phone to her ear, but she can barely stand up on her own. I doubt she'll remember it in the morning. Ok, go ahead."_

"Katy, I love you. Sorry about asking you to play that stupid game, ok?

"_Ummhmm, luv yoush…"_

"_Ok, Edward, see you tomorrow,"_ Michaela said, and then the call ended.

Shit, Katy was probably going to be pissed at me tomorrow, but at least she could be mad at me for her hangover instead of catching me looking at Bella Swan. I turned to head back, and after a little ways, there was another branch in the trail. One path led back to the house, and the other led down closer to the river. I didn't need to rush back to the house now and I needed some air to clear my head, so I took the path toward the river.

I remembered that Jessica's family had a small dock built along the river down here. We'd come swimming here in the summer, and Jessica's dad fished out here sometimes. There was thick undergrowth and trees obscuring the view of the dock from the path, and you'd probably miss it in the dark, if you didn't know it was here. I was heading that way, when I heard voices up ahead.

The night seemed unnaturally quiet, and I realized could barely make out the sounds of insects or the river in the background. My footsteps were silent, and I couldn't even hear the sound of my own breathing or heartbeat, but I could hear the voices if I concentrated on them, and I moved closer to hear if I could tell who it was and what they were talking about.

"…complain. I just don't know how much longer I can stay away from Edward. I don't want to stay away anymore!"

"You've got to stay strong, Bella. You know it's the right thing to do. You're the one that decided you needed to give him space because he has a girlfriend, and I agree. It's wrong to try and break them up."

The voices were faint and tinny, like they were coming from a great distance, but they were right on the other side of the bushes! That first voice, the girl that spoke, that had to be Bella Swan! I knew it was her, I could sense her presence. Then the man's voice had said her name, but who was she talking to?

"I'm not trying to break them up, Jasper! I know Edward's in love with Katy. He deserves the right to make up his own mind. I'm not going to force him! It has to be his decision!"

"Then what do you call that stunt with the Everclear tonight? C'mon, Bella, you knew that much liquor would knock any one of those humans on their ass, and maybe even kill someone who wasn't used to it!"

"I didn't know she was gonna draw the fourth king! There was a one in seven chance!"

"Yeah, but you knew you weren't gonna be able to draw the fourth king yourself, there were too many people playing. Whoever picked up that card was going home in either a cab or a body bag! You need to be more careful!"

"Ok… I'm sorry Jasper… I don't want to hurt anyone…"

"I know, Bella, but if you love him, you should respect his free will and let him make his choice."

"That's easy for you to say! At least Alice doesn't have a boyfriend that she's pining away after. She's just standing there waiting for you, and you won't do a damn thing about it! It's just so goddamn frustrating, seeing him with her! How can he make an informed decision when I can't tell him anything?"

"God, Bella, can you stand down wind? You smell like Alice, and it's driving me crazy!"

She chuckled. "Just stay strong, remember? Alice is sweet, and you aren't making a move. At least somebody around here knows what they want and isn't holding back. You could at least talk to her. You know she's waiting for you to make the first move."

"You didn't…"

"I'm not telling. You'll just have to get close enough to her to check for yourself if you want to know for sure, but she is very sweet… In more ways than one…"

"Damn it, Bella! Esteban will be back from Italy soon to test you. If he decides you're ready, then I'll have more options. Until then, I have my orders, and you have yours."

"You and your goddamn sense of duty and honor! You know I'm ready, what are you waiting for?"

"A good soldier follows orders. The time isn't right yet. I can't protect all of you. If Esteban promotes you, then I'll be free to act, and Edward will be your responsibility. Until then, we have too many enemies, and if you act rashly, you'll expose him to danger."

"I've had Emmett watching him…"

"And where did that get you? That love sick oaf goes and shoots his damn mouth off! I'm surprised he didn't just come out and tell him every… What was that?"

"Oh shit… I'm sorry Jasper…"

Suddenly the voices were very loud. I could hear the river lapping at the dock, and the sound of my heart beating in my ears.

"Jesus, Bella! You're ready? How long have you been shielding him? How much did he hear?"

"I'm sorry, it just happens subconsciously sometimes with him, without me even thinking about it."

"And you didn't feel him out there? Maybe you wanted him to hear!"

"Go back inside, Jasper, and let us talk, ok?"

"Yeah, sure. Remember the code, ok? I can only protect you from so much. If you really want him to have a choice and free will, then you need to follow the rules. I don't make the law, and you know what Esteban will say!"

I heard Jasper's boots echo hollowly as he walked across the planks of the dock, and then he stepped onto the path in front of me. He nodded to me curtly, and then disappeared up the path to the house.

"Edward, can I talk to you?" Bella asked me through the thick undergrowth and trees obscuring the view of the dock from the path. I stepped around the end of the path where I'd seen Jasper step out, and walked onto the dock.

"We can talk privately here. Nobody should disturb us, Edward."

"You don't seem to be having much luck with that tonight. Were you trying to hurt Katy at the party, Bella?"

"No! I didn't put the drink in her hand! I didn't make her drink it! I don't want to hurt her…"

"What do you want then? It sure sounds like Jasper thinks you were trying to hurt her tonight."

"You know what I want... but I told you, I'm not going to come between you and Katy. I'll wait 'til you're ready to move on… I can wait a long time, Edward."

"But it would be easier for you if she was out of the picture? How do you know I'd even want to be with you if I wasn't with Katy?"

"Look, Edward, I am cutting you so much slack right now, I can't even believe it myself sometimes! I. Will. Not. Hurt. Katy! If I wanted to, I could just reach out my hand and you'd be mine, end of story! But I don't want that. You get to choose, and my life sucks in the mean time. Don't worry about it, I'm used to it!"

"I'm sorry your life sucks. I'll admit I'm attracted to you, but I don't understand it. This would be so much easier if I knew what was going on! I hate it that everyone keeps talking around the subject and nobody will give me a straight answer!"

"One simple question, Edward, do you value your free will? Do you want to make your decision about who you're with? Or do you want me to make it for you? I know what I'll choose. I'll do what I'm supposed to do, and you'll be mine. Knowledge is the price for the choice. If you want to make the decision, if you value your free will then I'm not allowed to tell you anything. If you give up your choice and accept your destiny, then I can tell you everything."

"I think I'll stick with making my own choices for now, thank you. I'm kind of attached to the whole free will thing, but can you answer one question? What did Emmett mean when he told you that you know what you have to do, that you couldn't let this go on this way? Why does it matter that I've got a girlfriend, apart from the fact that they all think I should be with you and not her?" Why were Emmett and Rose so upset about Katy?

"That's three questions, Edward, and I already told you what the answers cost, but this is a freebie. If I was doing what I'm supposed to do, what my family wants me to do, she'd be fucking dead, Edward. Got it? Dead, not getting a little drunk, not fucking you at Jessica's party, fucking dead! I refuse to let that happen! If you want Katy, I'll back off and let you keep her."

"Jesus, Bella! Are you some kind of crazy psycho bitch?"

"Sometimes, but I think I'm holding it together pretty good lately, all things considered. Do you have any of that pot on you that you always bring to the drive-in, Edward? I could really use something to take the edge off right now."

"Jesus, Bella, you're standing there talking about murdering my girlfriend, and now you want to party with me?"

It was probably a sign of just how far gone down this road I really was, but I got out my pipe and loaded it. I fired it up and took a hit, and then handed it to Bella. She took a big hit and handed me back the pipe.

"Thanks' Edward, I really needed that. I don't want to fight with you. Can we just be friends tonight?"

"Yeah, that's cool. Just no more murder threats tonight, ok?"

"Hey, you asked. So, are you going to hook me up with your connection sometime? No offense, I don't mind that you deal to some of the kids at school, but I'm all about cutting out the middleman. Besides, Esme asked me to do a little shopping around while I'm out here."

"We could go hang out at First Beach in La Push sometime. Jacob hangs out there when he isn't working. He can hook you up with whatever you're looking for."

"La Push? That's on the reservation, isn't it? Could we meet him somewhere else?"

"Yeah, I could probably set something up. They hang out at the airport too, sometimes. What's wrong with La Push? You got a problem with the Quileutes or something?"

"It's not like that, I'm not prejudiced or anything. It's part of my adoption terms, I'm not allowed to go to the reservation. It's a long story. I'm not supposed to talk about it.

"That's cool, your business. So what's up with you and Alice, Bella?"

"You saw that, tonight? I thought I saw you in the doorway, but I wasn't sure how much you saw."

"Too much, but it was kind of hot. I thought you said you don't play around? What about Alice? Do you want both of us?"

"Are you jealous, Edward? I'm not cheating on anyone. Besides Alice and I are just friends. I'd stop fooling around with her if I was going out with you, and you felt threatened by her. Are you going to give me a reason to stop seeing her?"

"Umm, not today, ok? I thought Alice had it bad for Jasper? What's up with that?"

"Jasper is just too damn honorable and chivalrous for his own good sometimes, but he'll come around. You know Alice, she has a plan, she's just biding her time."

We finished he pipe, and I knocked out the ashes and put it away. Bella was right, it did take off the edge, and I felt more relaxed.

"We should probably head back up to the party," I said. People are going to miss us and wonder where we went."

"Ok, Edward, Let's go, unless you're afraid to be seen with me. Wouldn't want you to have to stroll around with a crazy psycho bitch, if it offends you sensibilities," she said with a grin. Bella was fun to be around, and her sense of humor seemed to complement my own. I could really see us together, if things weren't so complicated.

"C'mon, psycho, let's get out of hear before Jason crawls out of the river and offers you his hockey mask," I said as we strolled up the trail towards the house.

"I've always been more sympathetic to Michael Meyers, myself," Bella said. "He aught to have Timex stenciled across his chest. He takes a licking and keeps on ticking! Reminds me of some friends of mine."

We were laughing as we walked around the bend in the trail at the branch, and there was another couple walking down the trail towards us. We came to one of the garden lights, and it gave off enough light to shine on all of our faces as we passed.

Mike and Jessica gave us the strangest look, as they took the trail down towards the river dock. Bella and I smiled at them and said hi as we walked past, chatting about our favorite horror movie villains, but Jessica had a smug expression on her face like she'd just scored a juicy piece of gossip.

I thought about what Jessica had seen. Bella Swan, walking back to the party with me, alone in the dark on a lonely trail behind the house by the river. The trail that people had been slipping away together on all night to go be alone. Together. Oh shit, this could get ugly. I wondered how long it would take to get back to Katy.


	6. Slippery

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Please review and let me know what you think.

The next chapter may take longer to get out. I'll be out of town on a business trip next week. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6 Slippery

Jessica Stanley was such a bitch! I hadn't even done anything wrong, but now there were rumors flying all around school that I had been fooling around with Bella Swan after Katy went home drunk from Jessica's party on Saturday night. I'd wondered how long it would take the rumors to start, and the story to get back to Katy. She knew by Sunday afternoon, and she still wouldn't talk to me on Monday morning. It amazed me that one simple harmless little walk had blown up into such a storm of rumors and gossip.

One story had it that I'd gotten Katy drunk on purpose so I could spend time with Bella, and another story had moved the encounter from the path from the river to the two of us coming out of one of the bedrooms upstairs. Another story claimed that I had told Bella to meet me on the trail behind the house after I made sure Katy was going home with her friends. The only people that knew the real truth were Bella and I. Mike and Jessica had seen us on the path, but they didn't know how long we'd been together or what we'd been doing.

I'd told Katy as much of the truth as I was willing to share. I'd explained that I was looking for Brittany and Dean on the trail because Tanner had said that they went for a walk. Michaela had called and said that Brittany was already at the house, and I ran into Bella on my way back to the party. We just walked back to the house, and I hung out with Alice the rest of the night.

Katy had spent the day all day Sunday with Michaela and Brittany. I assumed she was trying to recover from her hangover for at least part of the day, but I got suspicious when she didn't want to see me Sunday afternoon or that night. We always went for our long run on Sunday afternoon or evening, but she told me she was still sick when I called her to ask if she wanted me to pick her up to go run.

I knew I was in trouble when she called and told me not to come over to run on Monday morning. She rode to school with Michaela, and she wouldn't talk to me in Trig. Lunch on Monday just added fuel to the fire. Katy wouldn't go out to lunch with me, because she still wouldn't talk to me. We'd all sat at our regular table but Katy sat on the other side of the table with Michaela and Brittany. She just glared at me and fumed when Alice and Bella came and sat with me between them.

Lunch on Monday seemed to be the turning point. She realized that she was pushing me away, and the only one she was punishing was herself if she kept shutting me out of her life. I drove Katy home after cross country practice Monday night and we talked. We ate dinner with her mother, and sat up watching movies at her house.

Tuesday morning we went for our run, and things seemed to be getting back to normal. I drove to Katy's house alone at 4am. Alice had her Aerobics class this morning, and was sleeping in until Bella came to pick her up to drive to the health club. I could swear I could feel Bella's presence just inside the trees by Katy's garage as I parked my car and got out to stretch, but I pushed the feeling away and ignored it. I knew I couldn't prove it, and it would just set Katy off again if I said anything.

The run was relax and frustrating at the same time. It was relaxing because I was spending time together with Katy, doing something we both loved. Running was a big part of our lives and it was something that we could share. It was frustrating because I could sense Bella at the edge of my awareness shadowing us as we ran. Feeling Bella nearby made me feel content and whole. It felt like a piece of me was torn away and missing when she was gone and I knew the day was rapidly approaching when I was going to have to make a choice which girl was going to be in my life. I couldn't go on much longer being pulled in so many different directions.

Bella had told me that if I wanted Katy, she'd back off and let me keep her. The constant sense that she was standing close enough to touch or that she was just around the next corner was driving me crazy. If she was that close, then I wanted to see her, but it would drive Katy even crazier. If I was going to be with Katy, then I was going to have to tell Bella to back off and give me some space. I wasn't ready to do that yet. Bella was like a drug and the longer that I was exposed to her personal magic, the more I craved it.

Perhaps it was the coward's way through this dilemma, but I was waiting to see how the relationships played out. Bella drove Katy crazy in a much different way than how she affected me. Katy saw Bella as her rival for my affections now, but Katy had the home field advantage, so to speak. She was my girlfriend, and we'd been together for over a year. She shared my most intimate secrets, and I had given her my heart. Before Bella came on the scene, I had envisioned us being together forever. There was nobody else that I wanted to be with, before Bella Swan moved to Forks.

Now Bella was a part of my life and I was presented with options that I hadn't even realized existed before. I had told Katy not to push me away and I wouldn't go anywhere, but she kept pushing. Every time she saw me notice Bella, she'd turn that cold shoulder to me. Katy would get mad and push me away, and Bella was standing there, like a magnet pulling me in towards her, waiting for Katy to screw up one time too many, and drive me away for good.

We got back to Katy's house, and I kissed her goodbye and went home to shower and get ready for school. Alice was gone when I got home, and I assumed she was at Janet Stanley's aerobics class with Bella and the rest of the cheerleaders. I fixed breakfast for myself and then got ready for school.

Alice was home in time to shower and change as we rushed out to go pick Katy up to go the school. Thankfully it was a normal Tuesday at Forks high school and we fell back into our routine. Katy and I went out to lunch, to get away together. We made plans for tonight, and Katy said ok when I asked if I could take her to dinner. We didn't feel like driving out to Port Angeles, so we decided to eat at the Plaza Jalisco tonight.

I talked to Alice in US History, and she said she'd ask if Bella could drive her to her martial arts class tonight during cheerleading practice. She seemed confident that Bella would take her. We went to the gym after class and went to the locker rooms to change. I met Katy out in front of the school for cross country practice, and Alice and the cheerleaders left to go jog out to the football field for their practice session.

Alice gave me the thumbs up when we got back from our run, and she was already walking out to Bella's red Dodge charger to leave when Katy and I got back to the school. Tuesdays and Thursdays were always a short practice for Alice, and she'd be leaving directly to head out to Port Angeles. Her class started at six o'clock, and ran for two hours. If they got back on the road right after class, and didn't stop to eat, they could be back by nine thirty. Alice and I usually stopped to eat, and got back later.

I drove Katy home, dropped her off, and went home to shower and change to go out to dinner. I told her I'd pick her up at seven. That would give both of us some time to work on our homework assignments, and then we'd have the rest of the night to ourselves.

I would have liked to have just showered at Katy's house, and helped her with her homework, but her dad was back in town. He liked me alright, but he had an old fashioned sense of propriety, and he thought I already spent more than enough time with Katy. I'm sure he probably knew more about our relationship than he let on, but as long as we didn't flaunt it under his nose, and were relatively discrete, he was happy to look the other way as long as Katy was happy.

I got home and had the house to myself. I took my shower to clean up after running at cross country practice, and got started on my homework to get it out of the way so I wouldn't have to worry about it when I was out with Katy later.

Katy was expecting me at seven, so I got dressed and left early to go pick her up. It was a short drive across town to her house and I had to cut through the center of Forks and cross Forks Avenue to get to her neighborhood. I drove past the drive-in, and a lot of our friends were already there hanging out. Maybe we'd stop by for dessert after dinner to say hi, but I was really looking forward to the two of us spending time alone together.

I still didn't know what I really wanted, but if I was going to give our relationship a chance to survive this, then I needed to spend time with Katy. When Bella wasn't around, it was just so easy to be with Katy. All that changed when Bella was around. Bella was like the sun when she stepped into my life, and I was inexorably drawn to her like a planet caught in the pull of gravity. Katy could sense that pull and it pissed her off.

Katy was still getting ready when I rang the doorbell next to the front door. Her dad answered the door and invited me in to wait. We went into the living room where he was watching the ballgame on TV. He seemed excited about the game but I'd never been a big fan of baseball. It was ok if I was playing, but I found it kind of slow paced to just sit and watch. It had to be close to the end of the season or possibly even a playoff game considering it was the middle of September.

I only had to wait for a couple of minutes, and then Katy came down the hall. She was wearing the chocolate brown linen drawstring skirt that swirled around her knees and the open toed pumps with a two and half inch heel that she'd worn to the football game in Sequim, but she had on a different top. It was a bright royal blue fitted button front shirt with short puff sleeves. I got up when she walked into the living room. Her dad made a show of watching the TV as she came into my arms and I gave her a light kiss, then we turned to her dad and said goodbye. Katy's mom came out of the kitchen, and they walked us to the door and told us to have fun as we left.

I carried Katy's coat for her as we walked to the car and helped her into the front seat. I ran around and got in, and we drove to the Plaza Jalisco. The restaurant was kind of quaint and fit the character of Forks. It was obvious from looking at the building that this particular piece of real estate had started life as a gas station. The carport with the islands for the gas pumps was still part of the parking lot on the side of the building facing Forks Avenue. The exterior of the building was painted in gaudy festive Mexican colors with a pinkish orange paint and green, brown, yellow, and red trim and accents. The interior had been remodeled to fit the requirements of a family restaurant, but the lighting was subdued with candles in glass sconces on the tables.

I held the door for Katy as we went into the restaurant. It wasn't crowded being a Tuesday night, and after the dinner rush if they even had one in the middle of the week. The hostess looked a little bored and seated us immediately. At first she took us to a table in the middle of the room, but I hated those tables. I always felt like I was on display for people to stare at even though there were only a couple of other couples. I asked for a more private booth, and the hostess took us to a booth in the corner of the room, away from the front door and the kitchen entrance. We sat together on the side of the booth so we could see the rest of the restaurant. The hostess left us menus and asked us if we'd like anything to drink. I got a Pepsi and Katy asked for water.

Dinner was pleasant and I enjoyed Katy's company and the two of us just being together. I could feel the dull ache in my chest that reminded me I was separated from Bella, but it was easy to ignore as I chatted with Katy over dinner. I wondered if this feeling would ever go away. If Katy was my future would I always feel a connection to Bella? I assumed it wouldn't be an issue if I was with Bella, but I really couldn't say what the future held for me at this point.

Katy had lived in Washington all of her life and hadn't been exposed to a lot of different cultural environments. The area of California where I had grown up was much more culturally diverse and a more cosmopolitan environment with Hispanic, Asian, Indian and a wide variety of other cultural influences melding together, providing a wealth of experience. My choice for dinner may not have been daring, I ordered the spicy pork fajita platter, but I had enough experience to know that it was pretty good for a Mexican franchise restaurant in Washington State. Katy ordered the mild chicken quesadilla, and it seemed a little bland to me when she offered me a taste, but it seemed to suit her.

That seemed to be a metaphor for our relationship. Katy was daring for a small town hidden in the forest in northwest Washington. She surfed and tried new things to a certain extent. She wanted to go to college, but although we hadn't discussed it in any kind of detail yet, she seemed to assume we'd go to Washington State University so she'd be close to home and family. We hadn't talked about it much, but I knew she wanted a nice normal life, probably in a small town like Forks.

Sure, she tried new things and tried to be daring, but under the surface she was like the chicken quesadilla, A little bland for my taste. She would probably reminisce about the summers she spent surfing in La Push and the trip I took her on to Paris as the high points of her life if I didn't drag her along to explore with me.

I hadn't really given the future much thought, but I knew I wanted more than Forks, Washington. I wanted to travel and see the world. I wanted to go to college, but I could pick any school in the country, and someplace Ivy League sounded like a good start. I was seventeen years old, and I had my whole life in front of me. I wanted excitement and adventure, but I had a sneaking suspicion that Katy would be more than happy to settle down right away, before we'd even had a chance to experience the world.

We finished dinner, and I left a tip and paid the bill at the front counter. We didn't order dessert, but I'd asked Katy if she wanted to stop by the drive-in to say hi to our friends and she'd agreed when I'd offered to buy her dessert there. We went out to the Volvo and drove up Forks Avenue to Sully's drive-in. It was only about three blocks north of the Plaza Jalisco, and we were pulling into the parking lot in minutes.

Most of our friends were surprised to see us. I wasn't sure if they were surprised because we were together, or because it was a Tuesday night, and they all knew I usually drove Alice to Port Angeles on Tuesday and Thursday night. Tyler seemed relieved to see us and came over to say hi. Lauren had been on his case all day in school and it didn't look like it was getting any better tonight. Mike was his normal smiling self, but Jessica seemed disappointed to see us together and happy. I knew she'd been spreading rumors about me and Bella at her party, and showing up together with Katy tonight gave the lie to the rumors that were flying around the school.

We ordered dessert and sat together at our usual table as we chatted with friends. I had a chocolate malt, and Katy ordered a vanilla ice cream cone. Katy sat close to me, with her thigh pressed up against mine and I knew she had finally put her hurt feelings and Jessica's rumors behind her as she licked the ice cream cone in the most suggestive manner. There were parts of me that were wishing they were that ice cream cone as she swirled her tongue around her dessert, and she smiled at me suggestively when she saw me watching her.

Katy finished her ice cream, and leaned into my side. I felt her warm breath on my neck, and then her teeth on my ear lobe as she gave it a gentle bite.

"Let's go someplace more private," Katy whispered in my ear, as she rubbed my chest with her hand. She pulled back a little and I turned and looked into here eyes. I could see the desire burning in her, and I took her hand as we stood up to leave.

We said good night to our friends, and turned to leave. I'm sure most of them had a pretty good idea that we weren't going straight home. It wasn't the first time we'd left early, and most of the couples there had too, at one time or another. We walked to the Volvo and got in, and I started the motor to leave.

I pulled out of the parking lot and turned north on Fork's Avenue. I kept heading north across the bridge out of town. I continued north for a while, and then turned right off the highway onto Sitkum-Solduc Road. I drove east for a while, out past the mill and the Industrial Park, and then turned off south onto an abandoned logging road north of the Quillayute River.

I'm sure this road wasn't really abandoned, at least not during the day, and despite the drive I really wasn't far from home. My house was on the other side of the river, less than a half of a mile from where we were parked, but the only way to get there was to circle back through town, to cross the river at the bridge. A lot of fishermen and guides used these roads to get close to the river to go fishing, but tonight I was here just to enjoy the view and be alone with Katy.

I got out and slid my seat forward, and then went around and opened the door for Katy. I helped her out of the car, and slid her seat forward before I shut the door. I opened the backseat door, and we slid into the back seat together. I put my arm around Katy's shoulders, and she leaned her head on my shoulder as I held her. We weren't rushed like we'd been that last night we'd parked together, after the football game in Sequim, and we could take things slow.

Besides, I was comfortable letting Katy set the pace tonight. It looked like she had forgiven me for what happened at the party, although I knew I hadn't done anything wrong. She knew nothing had happened between me and Bella. She just didn't like the idea that I considered the possibility, and that Bella seemed so ready to accommodate that possibility.

"I'm sorry I was mad at you, Edward," Katy said as she traced slow circles around my stomach. "I know nothing happened after Michaela took me to her house. I just overreacted to the stories that I heard everyone telling."

"It's ok Katy, but I don't want to talk about that tonight, ok? I'm here with you, and I love you. We're all alone out her. Just you and me out her alone with the river and the trees…"

It was still warm out for the middle of September and the windows of the car were open. The night air was moist but crisp and clean with the scent of green growing things and I could see the starlight glint off the river flowing rapidly not far from where we were parked. The near constant cloud cover had relented this evening and the sky was clear with a light breeze.

Katy turned her face up to look into my eyes, and I stared back into her bright blue gaze. I leaned into her and our lips met in a kiss. It was sweet and tender and my lips moved on hers. I reached for Katy and pulled her onto my lap, and she snaked her arms around my neck and tangled her fingers in my hair as she pulled me into our kiss. Her lips parted and I felt her tongue run across my lower lip, tasting me, begging for entry, and my lips parted allowing her entry.

It was blissful and sweet and unhurried as we made out in the backseat of my car. Katy pushed her tongue into my mouth and it was slick and sweet and velvety as our kisses deepened. My hands moved on her body caressing, stroking, fondling as we moved together like one creature and gave each other pleasure.

I felt her toe off her shoes as they dropped to the floor of the car, and my fingers found the buttons of her blouse as I worked to open the front of her shirt. It was slow and unhurried as my hands caressed her stomach and moved up her tender young body grazing over her ribcage and circling around her back.

I loosened her shirt but we didn't take it off as my hands caressed her, our lips moved together and our tongues danced back and forth licking, probing, exploring. I found the clasp of her bra and it came open under my touch.

I broke the kiss and trailed kisses down her jaw line to the hollow beneath her ear, down the column of her neck and along her collar bone as she stretched back against the seat, luxuriating under the feel of my touch. She moaned my name as my hands lifted to cups of her bra off her chest, and my hands cupped her breasts.

"Oh god, Edward… That's so good baby…" Katy panted as my thumbs stroked the hard pebbles of her erect nipples.

I trailed kisses across her collarbone to the hollow at the base of her neck and then down her body until my mouth found her pert breast. I moved my hand off her trailing down lower as my mouth took its place and I sucked her hard nipple between my lips and flicked it with my tongue.

"Edward… Oh god… Yess…" She moaned as my tongue and mouth laved at her breast and I caressed her other breast with my strong hand.

I trailed kisses back up her chest, and kissed her neck as I moved back up toward her lips.

"I love you…" I moaned as I grazed along her jaw, and then her hands were back in my hair lightly scraping my scalp as she pulled my face back to her and our lips crashed together.

My free hand was on Katy's knee, and I started to caress up the inside of her thigh under her skirt as she spread her knees to give me better access.

I pushed my tongue into her mouth, deepening our kiss as I stroked her breast and my other hand moved onto the moist triangle of her panties, and I could feel how hot and wet she was.

I stroked my fingers over the damp fabric of her panties as Katy moaned into our kiss. I found the edge and pulled the triangle of wet fabric to the side and my finger dipped into her heat as I felt just how wet she really was.

Katy broke the kiss to catch her breath as she panted against my neck and my hands moved on her, caressing, stroking.

"God, Edward… I love you so much baby…" Katy moaned.

"I love you…" I moaned, and then I felt it. Sudden, strong, startling, the pull of the magnetic attraction that drew me to Bella, I glanced up out the window, and there in the starlight reflected off the river I saw her golden topaz eyes, the pale white skin of her face, framed in her flowing mahogany locks staring back into my eyes.

"Bella," I breathed, and then she was gone, vanishing from sight like a wraith, but I could still feel the pull of the attraction.

"What?" Katy moaned, still caught up in the moment. Then realization flowed through her galvanizing her response.

"What The Fuck did you call me!" she yelled as she roughly shoved me away. "Let me go! Don't touch me! God damn it! Get you hands off me!" She yelled as she pushed me off of her and pulled her shirt closed.

"Katy, I'm sorry… I didn't mean…"

"Shut the fuck up, god damn it! I don't want to hear fucking excuses! You're with ME, Edward, and you're thinking about fucking Bella Swan!"

"No, I…" but what could I say? That I'd seen Bella standing outside the car watching us make out? that I could feel her presence, and I knew it was her because I could sense her?

"Get out of my way! Let me out of here!" She yelled and I backed up and opened the door and got out of the car.

Katy scrambled to get out of the car and stumbled pulling her shoes back on. I reached out to help her, but she batted my hands away.

"Don't touch ME!" she yelled, and then she turned away and started walking down the road, back the way we'd come in, towards the highway, adjusting her bra and buttoning her shirt as she walked away from me. She stumbled once as her heel caught on something in the dark, but she didn't slow down and kept walking away.

"Katy, come back! At least let me drive you home! It's dark out, and it's more than three miles back to your house!"

"I'll walk, you fucking asshole! Why don't you go sit in your fucking car and fantasize about goddamned Bella Swan! That seems to be the only thing on you mind tonight!"

She was crying now and she was angry. It was going to take her some time to cool down. I got back in the car and started it. I turned on the headlights, and easily caught up to her. I drove slowly down the road as she walked next to the car with her arms crossed on her chest and the tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Katy, please be reasonable. Get in the car and let me drive you home, ok?"

She ignored me and kept walking. The progress was slow in the dark as Katy walked down the road next to the car. We ran further than this twice a day, but that was with the proper shoes, and in better light on roads and paths we were more familiar with. Eventually we made it back out onto Sitkum-Solduc Road. Katy continued to ignore me as I pleaded with her to get back into the car, but she adamantly walked slowly down the shoulder of the road.

I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket, and I took it out and looked at the caller ID. It was Alice, probably calling to warn me that it was getting late, and I was going to break my curfew if I didn't get home soon. Well, Katy wasn't cooperating, and I couldn't just leave her out here on a dark road alone at night. I let the call go to voicemail and put the phone away. Katy might be pissed off at me, but I was responsible for her safety. I'd been the one to bring her out here in the first place, and I had to make sure she got home safe.

Katy was still walking down the side of the road when we were almost to the mill in the industrial park. It was dark out and I could see the starlight and the dim illumination of crescent moon reflecting off the roofs and walls of the metal buildings of the lumber yard. Suddenly, I heard Katy yelp as she went down. Immediately, I stopped the car and jumped out to see what had happened.

"Katy?" I called as I came around the side of the car. "Are you all right?" I asked anxiously. Then I saw her. She had obviously stepped in the hole I could see now, on the shoulder of the road, and had stumbled. She had fallen, rolled down the slight incline, and was lying curled up in the bottom of the roadside ditch. I could hear her sobbing as she tried to stifle the sounds of her crying.

"Let me help you, Katy, please?" I pleaded with her. "I'm not going to leave you like this! Now c'mon," and I reached down and picked her up. She tried to resist, but she was past fighting now, and I carried her to the car as she feebly tried to push me away. I set her in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt for her as she looked away and refused to acknowledge my presence. I got back into the car and started the motor.

We drove to her house in silence, and she refused to speak to me. I looked at the clock on the dashboard, and it was way past our curfew now. I pulled up in front of Katy's house.

"Do you want me to come over in the morning to go for our run?" I asked as I shut off the engine.

She didn't speak, and just stared out the passenger window. I couldn't tell if she was still crying or not, but she refused to look at me and didn't make a move to get out of the car.

"Katy, are you alright?" I asked.

Finally she turned to look at me, and she was crying again, but she was trying to hold it in. She didn't sob, but the tears flowed down her cheeks, leaving trails in the dirt from where she'd fallen.

"No, Edward. Don't come over to run, and don't pick me up for school tomorrow! I'm sick of sharing you with Bella Swan!"

"What are you saying, Katy?" I asked shaken.

"I don't know, Edward. Why can't things be like they were before Bella moved to Forks? When she isn't around, things are so great between us, but every time I turn around, you're staring at her, or talking to her! We can't even be alone together without that bitch coming between us! I need time to think, and you need to make up your mind! If you want to be with me, then be with ME, damn it!"

"Katy, you know I love you."

"I know, Edward, and that's why I keep putting myself through this. But if you love me, then I want all of you! I deserve that. I'm not going to share you with Bella Swan! This is the last time that you think about her while you're with me, damn it!"

The porch light flashed off and back on, and I could see somebody peeking out the curtains. I started to open my door to get out of the car.

"No. Stay here. I'm a big girl. I can find my own way to the door. I need time to think, Edward, and you have a decision to make. If you want to be with me, then I want all of your attention. If that's too much for you to offer, then let me know. Don't drag this out any longer than you have to. Please, Edward?"

Katy got out of the car. She slammed the door shut, and then stalked to the front door and went inside without looking back. The porch light went off and I was left alone sitting in my car in front of Katy's house.

I started the car, but I was too upset to go home now. I had to know. Had I imagined seeing Bella tonight? Was it my subconscious playing tricks on me because I wanted to see her? Or had she really been there tonight, suddenly standing outside the car, watching us? I drove north back out of town and down Sitkum-Solduc Road, out past the mill and onto the deserted logging road where Katy and I had parked earlier this evening.

I reached into the glove compartment under the dashboard on the passenger side of the car and got out a flashlight. I got out of the car, and turned on the flashlight to survey the scene. I could see the tire marks where I had parked here earlier, and our footprints in the soft ground where we'd walked around the car. I looked toward the river, and I could see there was a clearing where I'd seen Bella appear. I walked over to the spot, and shined the flashlight around, searching for whatever signs I could find.

There were footprints in the soft dirt of the clearing, small footprints that looked like a girl's boots. I'd seen these footprints before, under Katy's window. They led in two directions. It looked like she had approached from the river, and then they led off into the trees.

I followed the trail back to the river, to see where she'd come from. I was expecting the trail to lead back to tire tracks, and I wanted to see where she'd parked, but I got to the edge of the river, and the trail stopped. The first set of prints was deeper, as though she'd jumped down from something, and her feet had been driven deeper into the soft dirt of the bank, but there was nothing to jump off of, unless she'd been standing on a boat in the river. This wasn't the kind of river that had boats, unless you counted canoes, kayaks, and inflatable rubber rafts.

It was like she appeared out of nowhere, and was suddenly walking up the bank to the spot where I'd seen her. She couldn't have come across the river, the Quillayute River was a hundred feet wide and deep and swift moving here. There were rapids about a quarter of a mile west of here, and then more downstream at the bend in the river where it turned south.

I backtracked to where I'd first found the footprints, and followed them in the other direction, deeper into the woods. I was able to follow the trail for a while, but then the trail started to fade out as I got deeper into the trees. There was more undergrowth, and the footprints were harder to see. I was about to turn back, when I shined the flashlight around one last time, and something caught my eye. A rainbow flash of light that flickered briefly as the light reflected off of something.

I moved in that direction and the fecal stink of death assaulted my senses. The reflection I'd seen was the flashlight reflecting off of an animal's eye, but it was glazed and still in death. The sphincter had relaxed when death took it, and it had voided it bowels as it lay dying. It was a large deer, but its head lay at an odd angle, and I could see that its neck was broken. There was a terrible wound in its throat, where it looked like some animal had bitten it, but there was no blood on the forest floor.

I could tell it hadn't been moved from where it was attacked and died, but where was the blood? We'd studied this in biology last year. A large animal like that would have close to a gallon and a half of blood, and the wound in its throat would have caused it to bleed out. Apart from the broken neck, and the bite mark in the throat, there were no other apparent wounds. Predatory animals usually killed to feed, but there weren't any other marks where another animal had tried to eat this deer. Had some animal killed it, and then been driven off before it could enjoy its meal?

I shined the flashlight on the scene, and then I saw them. The same footprints I had been following. They were all around the carcass of the deer, as though Bella had been crouched over it, examining it. Why would Bella be so fascinated with the carcass of a dead animal to get so close to examine it or even want to be so close to it? Most girls would be grossed out just standing here checking out the scene, let alone being close enough to touch it.

I looked around, and I couldn't see anymore tracks leading away from the deer carcass. At least I wasn't crazy. I really had seen Bella tonight. What the hell she'd been doing here, and how she got here and how she left were still a mystery to me, but I felt better knowing I hadn't imagined seeing her tonight while I was with Katy. I was certain that the knowledge wouldn't bring Katy any peace of mind, but now I knew I had reacted to something real, and not an unconscious desire to be with Bella instead of Katy. I turned and made my way back to the Volvo.

I got in the car, and headed for home. Carlisle was going to be pissed off at me. I was hours late now, and he was adamant about my curfew. He knew how hard I pushed myself to excel at the sports I chose to participate in. He knew I got up early every morning to run, had practice in the afternoon after school and went for my long run on Sundays. He also was aware of the vices I enjoyed, and the relationship I shared with Katy.

Carlisle was always telling us about how we needed to keep things in balance and to not push ourselves to hard. He didn't try to control our lives, but the one thing he insisted on was that we at least get enough rest and try to keep normal or at least regular hours for sleep. If I was going to be up every morning at four, he expected me in the house before my curfew during the week. He was more lenient on the weekends, but this was a Tuesday night.

I got home and pulled into the garage and parked the Volvo. It had been a long and trying night, and I just wanted to go to bed and sleep now. I knew I was in trouble when I started to walk to the house, and there were still lights on. I went into the house, and Carlisle was waiting up for me.

"Edward, do you realize what time it is?" Carlisle asked when I walked into the house.

"Yes, dad, I'm sorry. I know it's late."

"Well, do you have an explanation? Where have you been?"

"Katy and I had another fight. She was mad at me, and stormed off to walk home. I couldn't leave her. It took me a while to calm her down before she'd let me drive her home."

"I'm sorry you're fighting with Katy, she seems like a very nice girl, but I called her house looking for you! You dropped her off an hour and a half ago! Where have you been since then?"

"I was upset. I drove around to calm down and clear my head," it wasn't a total lie. I was upset, but I wasn't ready to confide what was going on with Bella to Carlisle yet.

"Well, you better go to bed now, it's late, and I don't think you should get up to run in the morning. You need your rest, or you're going to make yourself sick."

"I wasn't planning on going running tomorrow. Katy doesn't want to see me, and it's late."

"Ok, goodnight Edward. We'll talk more in the morning."

That didn't sound good. Carlisle gave in too easy, but I was too tired to fight with him tonight. I went upstairs and went to bed.

I didn't sleep well that night. I was restless and tossed and turned in my bed. When I did finally sleep, I dreamed about Bella Swan. I saw her face again in the starlight, her golden topaz eyes like pools of liquid butterscotch, the pale white skin, and her flowing mahogany hair.

The pieces of the puzzle seemed to tantalize my senses ready to fall into place, but the logic of what I knew seemed to elude me. How had Bella appeared out of nowhere at the rivers edge? Her hair was dry and blowing in the light breeze, so she hadn't swam across the river. She'd disappeared so suddenly when I looked into her eyes, and then there was the deer. Her tracks were all around it. She'd been close enough to touch it. It had obviously been killed by a broken neck and a vicious wound to the throat, but it was drained of blood and there wasn't a drop on the forest floor.

I started awake early, and glanced at the clock. It wasn't even four yet, but my eyes snapped open. I could feel the sense of attraction to Bella, the tug in my stomach that I was so familiar with now, and I could smell the scent freesia and strawberries lingering in the room as I looked around. The rocking chair next to my bed was moving, as though somebody had just gotten up, and I knew the wind hadn't moved it. The window was closed and locked. I got up and checked it again, and then went down the hall to use the bathroom.

I went back to my room and lay down in bed, and the sense of attraction and the lingering scent of freesia and strawberries calmed my nerves, and I was finally able to drift off into a peaceful sleep. It was probably just my imagination, but I had the sense that I wasn't alone, and somebody was watching over me as I slept.

I was up again at six. I just couldn't sleep anymore. My body was programmed to be up even earlier, and sleeping in until six seemed flagrantly decadent to me. I went down the hall to shower and the dull ache in my chest returned when I walked out of my room and went to the bathroom to shower. It stayed like that when I went back to my room to get dressed.

Alice was already downstairs in the kitchen, dressed and ready for school when I came down to the kitchen at six thirty. She was used to going running with Katy and me, at least three days a week, but she didn't seem surprised today. I was shocked to see Carlisle sitting at the table, drinking his coffee. He usually slept much later, considering he didn't need to be to the clinic until the late morning, and his first appointments of the day started during the lunch hour.

"Edward, I want to talk to you about breaking you curfew last night," Carlisle started when I walked into the kitchen. "We don't have a lot of rules in this house, but you know how I feel about this."

"Yes, dad," I replied.

"I've been thinking about an appropriate punishment. I think you should stop riding your motorcycle for the rest of the season, now, and put it in storage until next spring."

"No, I was only a couple of hours late. I ought to be able to ride the Harley for another two and a half months if the weather holds. Besides, the Harley is non-negotiable. Think of something else."

"You know I don't like you riding that motorcycle! You've been lucky so far, but someday your luck is going to run out!"

"That's my problem! Ground me, or cut my curfew short to teach me a lesson, if you must, but the Harley isn't yours to control!"

"Edward, I'm your father, and I'll decide what's appropriate!"

"I don't see the problem, to be honest. I don't flagrantly break my curfew. This is the first time I've been late since school started, and you know what happened last night! I get good grades, and I don't have any problems in school. Choose something more appropriate!"

"Edward, you're seventeen years old, and it's my duty to look out for you! Sometimes I just need to be the parent and do what I think is best!"

"When you were seventeen, you'd already been on your own for a year, because you didn't agree that what your father wanted was right for you! Is that what you want? Do you want me to leave, and make my own way?"

"No, Edward! I want us to be a family! That damn bike just scares me! Someday something's going to happen, and we'll lose you too!"

"Don't worry about it, I ride safe! I'm out of here! Alice, I'll see you at school! When you think up an appropriate punishment that fits what I did, let me know!" and I stormed out of the kitchen.

"Edward! Where are you going! Come back here and let's discuss this!"

"I'm going to school, damn it, or do you have a problem with that too?"

I slammed the kitchen door, and went out to the garage. There was no way I was going to allow Carlisle to dictate whether or not I could ride my motorcycle. He could punish me for breaking curfew, but I wasn't going to give him the power to decide when and where I could ride my Harley.

I already had my leather jacket on. I grabbed my helmet off the gas tank, pulled it on and fastened the strap. I pushed the Harley off the center stand, stepped over the seat, and kicked the engine to life. I roared out of the garage, down the gravel driveway and onto Riviera Drive.

I looked at the sky as I turned onto Merchant Road, but maybe I should have checked the weather before I stormed out of the house and jumped on my motorcycle to prove a point. Storm clouds had rolled in while I had slept last night and the sky was dark and foreboding. A heavy mist was drizzling through the charged moist air, and the clouds looked like they were ready to cut loose any minute with a torrential downpour.

I probably should have turned around and gone back to the house, but I was mad, and seventeen and my temper was controlling my actions now. I rode away from the house, weather be damned. I wasn't going to let Carlisle dictate whether or not I could ride my motorcycle!

I rode down Merchant road, and turned right onto Calawah Way. I kept going past Spartan Avenue, and turned right onto Forks Avenue, heading north. I took the left fork where Sol Duc Way turned northwest, and then turned left onto Klahndike Blvd, before I realized I was riding to Katy's house, but Katy didn't want to see me this morning. I just rode around the loop at Robin hood Circle as I thought about what had gone wrong. Then the clouds finally cut loose, and I was soaked as the rain came down in sheets and made it hard to see the road as the big drops splashed into my face.

I rode back out of Katy's neighborhood, and crossed Forks Avenue to Tilicum Park and pulled under the trees in the parking area to get out of the worst of the rain. I sent Alice a text, and asked her if she could grab my school bag, and bring it to AP English for me. When the rain finally started to let up, I rode out of the park, and headed south down Forks Avenue to C Street SW, and turned left toward the school. I came out onto Spartan Avenue, almost in front of the old front doors into the school, and turned right to go down the block to the parking lot.

The rain wasn't coming down in sheets now, but was a steady light wash against my face as I made my way down Spartan Avenue through the light rain and mist. There were large puddles in the street where the pavement was uneven, and I was careful as I rode through them. The rain had cooled off my temper, and I probably should have turned around and gone home to ride to school with Alice, but I was here now, and she was probably already here now, too.

It was getting close to the start of school, and riding around town had helped to calm me despite the rain. Now I just wanted to get to school and get the day over with, so I could get away and figure out my next move. Katy had finally been starting to come around until I blew it last night. Now she'd told me she didn't want a ride from me again, and she'd probably show up with Michaela today. Then there was still the mystery surrounding Bella, and spending time with her was sounding more and more attractive all the time, as Katy gave me the cold shoulder and pushed me away, even if Bella was the cause of all the troubles with Katy.

What happened next was partly my fault, but I'd never admit that to Carlisle. The first thing they teach you about riding a motorcycle is to pay attention, and don't leave your safety up to other drivers. A lot of people just don't see motorcycles, and some of them assume that the cars should have the right of way. I should have been paying more attention and riding defensively, but my mind was wandering as I turned into the parking lot at the high school.

The parking lot was relatively crowded, considering it was still raining, but this was Washington, and rain was a way of life here. People were getting out of cars, and making their way into the school. Jasper's bike was parked in the first space by the path. I saw my silver Volvo that Alice had driven to school today and Bella's red Dodge Charger. Alice had her back to the parking lot, chatting with Jasper as Bella got out of her car to walk over to them. Katy was walking in with Michaela on the other side of the lot, but she turned her head away when I looked at her.

I was dodging around the larger puddles when I heard the roar of the engine. Tyler Crowley was speeding down Spartan Avenue, probably still fighting with Lauren, and hurrying so they wouldn't be late to school. He always drove like an ass when she was giving him grief first thing in the morning. He took the turn into the parking lot too fast, and then life seemed to move in slow motion as the scene unfolded around me.

I saw the tires break traction as Tyler's blue van hydroplaned across the big puddle at the entrance to the lot. He overcorrected and the van spun out of control. I saw the look of fear in his eyes as he fought for control, but it was too late. Too late for me, I didn't have anywhere to go. If I laid the bike down, he'd skid right over the top of me. I couldn't swerve out of the way, and the van was coming straight at me. There was an old red '53 Chevy pickup behind me, and Tyler's van was going to slam me into the side of it. I was about to be squashed like a bug between the van and the truck, and I couldn't do anything to prevent it as I stared at the side of the van moving towards me like a juggernaut.

Suddenly there was a blur of motion, and Bella Swan was standing next to my bike. How had she got there so fast? She'd been on the other side of the lot, walking to talk to Jasper! Now the van was going to hit her and she was going to die too! Miraculously she pushed Tyler's van out of the way. She didn't die! The van deflected off of her like a ball in a pinball machine!

There was a huge dent in the side of the van where she'd slammed her shoulder into it, but the momentum was too great. It didn't stop, but started to pivot around her, and now the rear end of the van was sweeping towards me! Fate was laughing at me, and my number was up. I guess fate hadn't counted on Bella Swan.

Bella reached out and grabbed the frame of the Harley, next to the motor below the forks, and then the bike was moving out of the way. I almost lost my grip as the bike started to move sideways, but I hung on for dear life. Bella picked up the motorcycle, and swung it out of the way, as the van slammed into the pickup. I finally lost my balance as the Harley came to a sudden stop. I toppled to the wet pavement and felt a sharp pain as my head smacked into the asphalt. The bike came down on top of me, but Bella was still holding the frame and kept it from pinning me down and crushing my leg.

I was in shock as I lay there in the rain staring at Bella. My mind didn't want to accept the facts of the things I knew I'd seen. She had been too far away, but suddenly she was there in a blur of motion too fast to see! Petite seventeen year old girls didn't slam their shoulder into the side of a moving van like a linebacker and stop the van! Let alone leave a shoulder shaped dent. They didn't pick up seven hundred pound motorcycles and yank them out of the way of an accident, but I looked down, and I could see finger marks on the frame where her hand still held it from falling on me.

I could hear screams and shouts, but Tyler's van and the red Chevy pickup blocked the view of the kids that were running to see if I was still alive.

"How did you get here so fast?" I asked Bella. "You were all the way across the lot by your car."

"No, Edward, you're in shock. I was right there by the truck, and I ran over when you swerved out of the way. Are you ok? You hit your head when you fell."

"I saw you! You were getting out of your car. You stopped the van! You pulled my Harley out of the way from getting crushed between the van and the truck!"

"Nobody's going to believe that story, Edward, you hit your head, and you're in shock."

"I'm not going to tell anyone! I didn't hit my head that hard and I'm wearing a helmet. Don't lie to me, Bella."

"Then lie for me, ok?" She looked at me and our eyes met. I could tell how important this was to her.

"Ok, if you'll explain later?"

Bella nodded, and then I heard her swear under her breath. Katy was coming this way and a crowd of people was starting to move towards us. Jasper and Alice got to us first. They had been on the sidewalk closest to us. They had been alone on that side of the accident scene and Alice had her back to me when the van spun out of control. I didn't think she had seen everything that had happened before she turned around. The rest of the people making their way into the school had been on the other side of the lot, and the spinning van had blocked their view of what exactly had happened.

"Jasper, help me," Bella said, and he reached for the bike and grabbed the handle bars to support the weight as she let go of the frame and moved back.

Alice was reaching for me at the same time Jasper was reaching for the bike and her hand brushed against the back of his hand as she reached for me. I saw a tiny flash of light when their hands touched, like a spark of static electricity jumped between them at the contact. Alice had a glazed look in her eyes, and she froze in place like she was in shock. She stared at Jasper with the most profound look, like she was seeing him for the first time.

Jasper stiffened, and I saw his jaw muscles clench, as though he was fighting to keep his composure. The atmosphere around us seemed to be charged with an almost sexual tension that seemed at odds with the accident scene. To his credit, he didn't drop the bike on me, and pushed it upright and moved it out of the way.

I could hear sirens, and Katy finally reached me as she rushed over to me. She was crying, and looked panicked as I lay there in the parking lot. I tried to get up now that Jasper had moved the bike off me.

"No, Edward, Stay down," Bella said. "Wait for the paramedics. You hit your head when you fell."

Katy glared at her, but pushed me back down and wouldn't let me get up. Coach Newhouse was there now, and I could see Principal Rupprecht running to the scene. At least the light rain had slacked off and there was only a heavy mist verging on the edge of rain as the weather started to improve.

"Edward, are you alright?" Samantha Newhouse asked.

"He swerved out of the way at the last second," Bella said. "He hit his head on the pavement when his bike went down," and I saw a slight smirk twist up the corners of her lips.

"Ok, Edward, don't move! We'll have the paramedics check you out when the ambulance gets here," Coach Newhouse told me. "How is Tyler? Was anyone else riding with him?"

There was a crowd of people around the van and I couldn't see from where they were making me lay on the wet pavement. At least I hadn't landed in a puddle. I saw flashing lights, and the first emergency vehicles arrived, a Forks Police cruiser, followed by a fire truck. The firemen went to start working on the van, and then one of the firemen came over to check on me when Coach Newhouse called to them. They filled him in on the accident.

The fireman turned his head and called over his shoulder, "Chief, we got another one over here, possible head trauma," and he turned back to me and shined a small flashlight in my eyes.

"Edward, right? Do you feel any numbness or dizziness?" The fireman asked.

"I'm fine! I just want to get up now."

"Just hang out for a while, bud. A head injury can be serious business. We'll get you looked at, ok? We don't want to take any chances."

"I was wearing a helmet," I replied.

The fireman looked at me a little dubiously, "You should invest in a real helmet, Kid. These shell helmets might look cool, and they might be legal under the vehicle code, but you might as well be wearing a ball cap for all the protection they provide. Now just chill out, and we'll have the paramedics take a look."

An ambulance pulled into the lot now. I had heard the siren cut off when they were still down the street, but the emergency lights were still flashing on top as they pulled up next to the fire truck. The crew got out and opened the back of the truck as they grabbed their gear.

"Bella, why don't you help Alice over to the sidewalk," Coach Newhouse said. "She looks like she's in shock. The paramedics are going to need some room to work."

Bella helped Alice up, and put her arm around her shoulder as they walked to the sidewalk out of the way. Alice wasn't the sort to go to pieces in an emergency, and I knew it had to be something else. She was still staring at Jasper, but she hadn't said a word or taken her eyes off of him since her hand brushed against his.

I heard noise over at the van now, and the policemen had cleared the crowd back from the accident. Coach Clapp, Principal Rupprecht, and several of the firemen were pushing against the van, and they managed to shift it back away from the red Chevy pickup so they could get to the passenger side door of the van. Then my view was blocked again as the paramedics came to check on me.

"It's gonna take them a while to get those other two out of the van, let's see what we can do here while the firemen get them out," the first paramedic said.

They came over and shined the light in my eyes again. Then one of them checked my blood pressure and took my pulse. They talked to coach Newhouse and the fireman, and then fastened a stiff plastic collar around my neck, loaded me onto a stretcher and strapped me down.

I finally got a look at Tyler as they loaded me into the ambulance, and he looked a lot worse off than I did. His face and shirt were bloody as he lay unconscious on a stretcher, and the front windshield of the van was spider-webbed where it looked like his head had hit the inside of the safety glass. Lauren wasn't bleeding, but she was wearing a plastic collar too as the paramedics worked on her. She looked conscious, and she was crying as they bandaged Tyler's head.

Bella was standing on the sidewalk with her arms around Alice's shoulder, holding her head on her shoulder, as she talked to one of the Policemen. He took notes on a small notepad as she told her story, and I'm sure she was giving him the official version of the accident. I saw Carlisle come rushing over to Bella and Alice. He looked upset, and the Policeman pointed at the ambulance. Then I was in the back of the ambulance, and couldn't see anymore.

"I'm Carlisle Cullen. I'm Edward's father, is he ok? Was he hurt?" I heard Carlisle ask outside the ambulance.

"He's a little banged up, but he was very lucky," somebody said outside the ambulance. "He hit his head when his bike went down. We want the doctor to take a look at him, but they'll probably send him home, unless they find something we missed when they get him to the hospital."

A couple of minutes later, they loaded Tyler into the ambulance with me. One of the paramedics got into the back with us and they shut the doors, and we left for the short drive across town to the Forks Community Hospital. Tyler didn't look too good, with the bandages on his face and head, but he was breathing, and I'd seen enough doctor shows on TV to know that his heart looked strong from the monitor that was hooked up to all the wires coming from under the blanket he was covered with.

We arrived at the Forks Community Hospital after about a five minute drive, with the lights and sirens warning traffic out of the way. The doors opened, and the orderlies grabbed Tyler out of the back of the ambulance and rushed him into the emergency room. I could see that their sense of priorities was obvious; the bleeding unconscious kid took precedence over the alert, conscious kid with a bump on his head. This was a small hospital with limited resources, but it still irked me that I was left lying there in the back of the ambulance, waiting until somebody got around to coming out to move me into the emergency room. Wasn't that the whole point of an emergency room, urgency of necessary care?

It was the ambulance crew that finally came back to the truck, and pulled me out of the back of the truck and wheeled me into the hospital. They talked to a nurse and exchanged paperwork, and she directed them to bring me to an examination room. The room was large with at least four beds, separated by curtains hung from the ceiling. They unstrapped me and transferred me onto the bed in a curtained off cubicle, and told me good luck as they left to go back out to their truck.

Lauren Mallory was sitting on a bed down at the end of the row, but she looked like she was upset and just stared at the floor. I could tell she was crying, but I didn't know if she was scared from the accident, worried about Tyler, or something else altogether. I didn't see Tyler, and I had to assume they were examining him someplace else. The two choices that sprang to mind were either x-rays, or emergency surgery, and I was hoping they were taking pictures, for Tyler's sake.

Once I was alone, I pulled that stupid plastic collar off my neck, and tossed it under the bed. I was fairly certain I didn't have a broken neck. I finally took off my helmet, and took a look at it. There was barely a scuff mark on the back where it had hit the pavement. I'd probably done more damage to it moving my head around looking around the accident scene, than I had hitting my head. I took off my jacket and laid it across the chair next to the bed. My clothes were soaking wet from my ride this morning, and then lying in the rain and mist at the school until I got loaded into the Ambulance.

The waiting seemed to stretch on and on as I sat there on the bed, and it was almost a relief when the nurse finally came to check on me. She fastened a plastic wristband onto my left wrist, and then checked my vital signs again and made notes on a form. She asked me if I was injured, and I said that the emergency crew seemed concerned that I'd hit my head when I fell. She gently probed the back of my head with her fingertips, and made more notes. She gave me a hospital gown then, and told me I could change out of my wet clothes. She'd have my family bring me in something dry to change into before I left.

I changed into the gown and stacked my wet clothes in the chair with my jacket. I always hated the way these gowns were open in the back, and left you feeling exposed, but I didn't plan on being here for long. The waiting started again, and I was losing track of how long I sat there. Finally another lady showed up. She had another clip board with forms, but she collected all of my personal information. I fished my wallet out of my pants on the chair, and gave her my driver's license and my medical insurance card, and she left to go make copies.

I was surprised that Alice and Carlisle hadn't showed up by now, but I really wasn't looking forward to talking to dad right now. True, the accident hadn't been my fault, but it looked bad that he was worried about something happening to me because I was riding the motorcycle, and then the very next time we talked, it was in the hospital emergency room after I was in an accident on my bike. It gave his arguments a certain credibility in light of the facts.

I sat pondering what I'd say to Carlisle when we finally talked, when another nurse showed up with a wheel chair. I still hadn't seen a doctor yet, but she said she was there to take me down to x-ray to have my head examined. I laughed, and sat down in the wheel chair. A lot of people would probably agree that it was a good idea.

I was on my way back from getting my head x-rayed, when I finally saw Carlisle. He was holding a bag, and he must have gone home to get me some dry clothes to change into. He was talking to Dr. Gerandy, and they came over to my bed together after the nurse dropped me off back in my cubicle.

"Good morning, Edward," Dr. Gerandy said. "So, you had a little spill, and bumped your head?"

"It's nothing, Doc. I've had worse in wrestling practice. I tried to tell them at the school, but they said I should have it looked at."

Dr. Gerandy looked at my chart, and then stepped over next to the bed, and gently probed the back of my head with his fingers. There really wasn't even much of a goose egg, just a slight swelling, and a tender spot.

"Well, I think you'll live," Dr. Gerandy said. "I'll take a look at the x-rays, but you'll probably be able to leave after I take a look. Take some Tylenol if you experience any discomfort."

"I have a cross country meet in Rainier, tomorrow. Will I be ok to run? I know Coach Newhouse will ask, and they'll probably want a note."

"I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to participate. Let me look at the x-ray, and then I'll let you know. If everything checks out, then I'll give you a note when we release you, ok, Edward?"

"Ok, can I get dressed now? It's getting late, and I'd like to get back to school…"

If I was at school, Carlisle wouldn't be able to talk to me about the accident. This was exactly what he'd been worrying would happen. It would have been just as bad as he had imagined, if it hadn't been for Bella. She'd saved my life today.

"I can give you a note, and you can take the day off, Edward, if you'd like to take it easy."

"No, Doc. If I'm ok, I'd really like to just go back to school. Like I said, I have a meet tomorrow, and I'd prefer not to miss practice today after school. I already skipped my run this morning. I don't want to break my routine so close to a competition. Just give me a note to return to school, and I'm good."

"Ok, go ahead and get dressed. I'll go take a look at your films, but I think everything's fine. The nurse should be around with your notes, and to get you signed out. Good luck in Rainier tomorrow. I guess you can go back to school, if you feel up to it."

"Thanks' Doc," and then I remembered about Tyler and Lauren. "How are Tyler and Lauren doing? They were in the van that almost hit me."

"They're going to be ok. Tyler looked worse than he was, but head wounds always bleed a lot. He has a concussion and he needed some stitches for a pressure cut. We're going to keep him overnight for observation, but he'll be back in school in a couple of days. Lauren was just shaken up, and she's already been released. Now I better get back to work, myself."

Dr. Gerandy walked away, and I turned to Carlisle. I was expecting an 'I told you so' moment, but he seemed kind of distracted.

"Dad, are you alright?" I asked. He seemed to shake himself, as though he was lost in thought about something, but he handed me the bag of clothes.

"Sorry, Edward, I was just worried about Alice. She seemed very upset at the school, but when I tried to take her to the car to go home, she threw a fit, and said she had to stay in school today. I've never seen her act like that. At first I thought she was upset about the accident, but she just kept staring at this tall blond guy at the school. Is there something going on that I should know about, Edward?"

"That was probably Jasper Whitlock that she was staring at. She likes him, and I'm pretty sure he likes her too, but so far neither of them has been willing to make the first move. I think something happened between them, when they came over to help me at the school this morning. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but now maybe they're ready to make that next move."

"Do you know this boy? Is Alice safe with him? I don't want her to get hurt anymore, Edward."

"Jasper's a standup guy. He's a little quiet, but Alice seems to think he's pretty great," and I smiled at the look of discomfort on Carlisle's face.

I knew he hadn't missed the fact that Alice hadn't found any of the boy's in Forks to her liking, and he was ok with that, because it made life easy for him. If Alice started dating, then life would get more complicated for Carlisle, and he'd worry about Alice.

"Ok, get dressed, and I'll drive you back to school if you really want to go, but I think half the school is up here in the waiting room."

"Mr. Cullen?" we both turned to look and the nurse smiled. "Evelyn, up at the front desk has some papers she needs you to sign. I'll bring Edward up when the doctor's done checking his x-rays and signs him out. She has your notes for school."

"Ok," Carlisle said, and then turned to me. "I'll see you out front. I'll go take care of the paperwork, so we can leave when they let you go."

"Thanks' dad, and really, I'm fine."

Carlisle smiled, and then turned and walked away. I closed the curtain, and got the clothes out of the bag and got dressed. I was ready when the nurse came to get me, and said I could leave. She walked me to the door of the emergency room, then pointed down the hall, and gave me directions how to find the business office where Carlisle had gone to take care of the paperwork.

I started down the hall, and then I knew Bella was waiting for me up ahead. I could sense her presence in the doorway off the passage.

"Hey, Bella, are you finally ready to talk to me?" I asked.

"Hi, Edward, are you ok? I was worried about you."

"I told you I was ok at the school. Are you going to tell me how you did all of that now?"

"What? You swerved out of the way at the last second, and Tyler's van missed you. You fell and hit your head. You're confused Edward."

"Hey, I said I'd go along with the official story! I get it, you don't want people prying into your private life, but I know what really happened! You asked me to lie for you, and I did. Now I want the truth! You said you'd explain!"

"I know I promised, but I can't… It would put you in more danger, and I can't do that. Remember what I said about need to know information? There are people that would hurt you if they knew that you even know as much about me as you already do. If I told you anymore, they'd find out, and come and make sure you didn't tell anyone else. They have very permanent solutions, Edward."

"But if I wasn't with Katy, it wouldn't matter, and you could tell me everything? How does that make any sense?"

"I thought that would be obvious by now, Edward. If you weren't with Katy, you'd be with me, and you'd be like me. My secrets would be your secrets, and you'd be bound to protect them the same as I am."

"Oh." Well excuse me for being dense, but that finally made some sense.

"I'm going to have to go away for a while, Edward. Please be safe, and don't do anything reckless or stupid."

"Bella, where are you going?"

"I can't tell you, but think about what you want, ok? I know what Katy told you last night. When I come back, we're both going to be very interested in what you decide."

Bella looked up past my shoulder, and I turned to see where she looked. Katy was standing on the other side of the door at the end of the hallway, glaring at me through the glass. She turned and walked away when she saw me look at her. I turned back to Bella, but she was gone, vanished into thin air, like last night. She had left so silently, without even a stir in the air. I reached out to where she'd been standing, but my hand passed through the air.

I went and found Carlisle, and he gave me my notes for school. We had to go out through the crowd in the waiting room, but Lauren had already filled in most of the story when she was released. The crowd was already starting to thin out. I was surprised to see how many people were truly worried that I might have been injured or killed in the accident.

Katy was still in the waiting room when we came out. She was waiting to talk to me, and she pulled me aside when we got outside. Carlisle went to the car and gave us some space.

"Are you alright, Edward?" Katy asked with concern in her voice.

"I'm fine. I just hit my head when the Harley went down, but my x-ray was ok. I've had worse bumps at a wrestling meet. I'm tough, I can take a hit."

"Ok, I don't want anything to happen to you" She seemed to contemplate what she said next, but she went on, "What did Bella want, what did you talk about in the hallway?"

"She wants the same thing you do, Katy. She wanted to know if I was ok. She said she has to go away for a while, but she knows what you told me last night. She said she'll be waiting to hear what I decide when she comes back too."

"So you haven't made a decision yet? Is it really such a hard choice, Edward?"

"You said you needed time to think, and you told me to think about what I want. I need time too, Katy. I'm not going to make a snap decision in the heat of the moment. You deserve that much. There are things I need to figure out first, before I can make a real commitment. I don't want to make a promise, and then not be able to stand behind it. You'll wait for me to decide, won't you?"

"I didn't think this was going to be so hard for you, Edward," Katy said, and I could hear the fear and uncertainty in her voice. She was wondering if maybe she'd pushed me to far away to come back to her now. Had she? I didn't know yet.

I turned and walked away and got in the car with Carlisle, and Katy stood there staring as we drove away. He dropped me off at the school and I went into the office. I turned in my note and Mrs. Cope checked me into school. It was lunch time already, and I'd missed the first half of the day.

I went to the cafeteria, and it was strangely deserted, but half the school was still up at the hospital, or on their way back. I found Alice. She was sitting silently at our usual table, listlessly picking at a salad, and I could tell she'd been crying. She looked up at me when I sat down, and I put my arms around her and pulled her head onto my shoulder.

"They're gone, Edward," She whispered in my ear. "He wouldn't talk to me, and they just left! How could he do that to me? Why Edward, why would he do that? He had to be feeling everything I was feeling!"

"They'll be back, Alice. I talked to Bella at the hospital. They had to go away, but she said that she'd be back. Alice, we need to know what's going on. There are too many unanswered questions, and I need to know the whole story to decide what to do."

The mystery just seemed to keep growing, but I wasn't getting any answers. I knew what I had to do, and it gave me chills to think about it, but I knew there was one person who could help me figure this out if I asked for her help. I hadn't talked to Alice about any of this before, because she'd been against my relationship with Katy from the beginning, but if I wanted to figure out what the hell was going on, I was going to need to ask Alice for help. The mystery of Bella Swan had to be solved before I could make my decision.


	7. Revelations - part 1 A Day at the Beach

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

This chapter ended up being 41 pages long, and over 25,000 words, so I broke it in half to make it easier to get through. This is part 1; part 2 will be up soon.

Please review and tell me what you think.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 7 Revelations – Part 1 A Day at the Beach

The rest of the day on Wednesday after lunch was pretty much a bad day and I was happy to put it behind me. I went to AP Chemistry after lunch, and just like Alice had said, Bella didn't show up for class. We sat through US Government together, and I could tell that Alice was devastated that Jasper was gone, but she looked like she was in physical pain too. I wanted to ask her about it, but the timing was wrong. We went off to our practices, but it wasn't a good day for either of us

Coach Newhouse took me aside at the beginning of cross country practice, and asked if I was ok. I gave her the note from Dr. Gerandy, and she brightened up and said she'd put it in my file. Katy and Michaela were back in school, after spending the morning at the hospital, but they ignored me at cross country practice. We went for our run, and I let myself relax. I didn't think about Katy, but no matter how hard I tried, I could still feel the absence of Bella from the dull ache in my chest. I got back to school, and Coach Newhouse reminded us about the meet tomorrow and then the school day was over.

I waited for Alice to finish cheerleading practice, but from what I could tell, it didn't look like the girls hearts were in it today. Tyler was in the hospital and Lauren had gone home for the day after she was released. Bella had disappeared, I didn't know what excuse she had given, if any and Alice was devastated because of the disappearance and apparent betrayal by Jasper. It was like Alice was just going through the motions and trying to be strong for the people around her, but I could see the pain in her eyes when she didn't think anyone was looking.

I rode the Harley back home and parked it in the garage, and Alice followed me in the Volvo. I looked at the frame on the bike, where Bella had grabbed it to yank it out of the way, and I knew I hadn't imagined it. There were finger marks in the steel tube where her hand had gripped the frame of the bike, and I wondered just how strong she really was. I thought about the other unexplained things that had confused me about her. The broken board under Katy's window, where she had punched the wall but hadn't broken her hand, the door at the party last Saturday night, where the wood was squeezed so tight it cracked and splintered. These started to make sense in light of what I'd seen today.

Alice and I walked into the house, and we went upstairs to our rooms. I set my school bag on my desk, and then lay down on the bed to contemplate the reality of the things I had seen. So Bella was super strong and super fast, but how and why? That was all some kind of comic book crap that was made up for movies, right? But I'd seen it with my own eyes, and I was alive right now because of her. I was laying there brooding about this, when something Jasper said at the party last Saturday popped into my head and suddenly seemed significant.

Something he'd said that hadn't seemed important to me at the time. It was when I was walking on the trail, and I had stumbled upon Bella and Jasper talking, and for some strange reason, they didn't know I was there and kept talking while I eavesdropped on their conversation. Jasper had said, '_that much liquor would knock any one of those_ humans _on their ass_'. So what, they weren't human? Then what were they?

Bella had told me that if I was with her, then I'd be like her, so that implied that somehow I could become not human like her. That cut down the possibilities a little. I had to assume they weren't some weird space aliens if I could turn into whatever she was, but that didn't entirely rule out the pod people option. So I was guessing that they weren't 'strange visitors from a distant planet'. What did that leave, science experiment gone wrong, or maybe right? Obviously she had a secret that she was hiding, and she said people would come to shut me up if they found out I knew too much, but what people? The government? Some secret lab or hush hush mega-corporation? The military? There were just too many options, and I needed to narrow down the search. I needed to talk to Alice.

I got up and walked across the hall to knock on Alice's door. I was about to knock, but I realized I could hear her in the room, and it sounded like she was crying. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring up Jasper and Bella right now. I was about to turn away and go back into my room, when the door opened. Alice was standing in the doorway, looking up at me. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but she looked a little calmer.

"Thank you for wanting to give me some time to deal with this, Edward," Alice said. How did she always know

"Did you want anything for dinner, Alice? I was thinking about heading out to the drive-in later, want to go with me?"

"No, I'm staying in tonight, but you'll find what you're looking for. We'll talk on Saturday, it'll be easier then."

"He'll be back, Alice."

"I know, I've seen it, but it won't get better right away."

"You know more than you're telling me."

"Of course, but if I told you everything I know, it would effect your decision."

"What are they, Alice?"

"I don't know, that wasn't important to me, but if it is to you, then we'll find out."

"On Saturday?"

"Just go to the drive-in. I think we're going to the beach on Saturday, just say yes, ok?"

"Yes," I said with a grin.

"Not to me, you goof ball! Now go get something to eat."

I nodded and Alice closed her door. I went back to my room, grabbed my things to go shower, and then went down the hall to the bathroom to cleanup. I went back to my room to get dressed after my shower. Then I went downstairs to leave. I got out to the garage, and I decided to take the Volvo tonight. I'd gotten lucky on the Harley this morning because Bella was there to save my ass, but I didn't feel like pressing my luck again tonight.

I drove down to Sully's, and the parking lot seemed strangely empty without Tyler's van, Bella's Charger, and Jasper's Ducati. I parked the Volvo, and got out. I walked over to the table by my friends to say hi. Katy and Michaela were here tonight, but they were over sitting at a table with Tanner and Dean and Brittany. I know Katy saw me when I got there, but now she had her head turned away, and refused to acknowledge my presence.

"He's Alive!" Mike intoned, doing a bad impression of Boris Karloff from a Hollywood B movie. "Yo, Edward, dude! You gave us all a scare this morning. You've got some mad skills on that bike, man! I thought you were road kill for sure, when Tyler lost it."

"Yeah… I just got lucky, I guess"

"How did Bella get to you so fast?" Jessica asked. "I could have sworn she was getting out of her car, but the next thing you know, she was right there with you."

"You must have looked away, Jess. Bella was right by that pickup, when I swerved out of the way…"

"Hmm, I guess so… It all happened so fast. I glad you're alright, Edward."

I sat down at the table, and ordered a burger, fries and a Pepsi for dinner, and then I turned to Jessica.

"So, Jess, how is Tyler doing? When they released me from the hospital, they said they were keeping him overnight for observation. Is he ok?"

"Yeah, he's got a concussion, and he needed stitches to close the cut on his forehead. They wanted to keep him overnight, in case his brain started to swell, but if he doesn't have any complications, they'll release him tomorrow."

"So, what's up with Bella and Jasper? Bella wasn't in AP Chemistry today, and Alice said Bella didn't show up for cheerleading practice either."

"Yeah, I thought it was kind of funny, how they just disappeared, but Rich Dahlke called my mom afterschool today. He said something had come up in the custody arrangements. He didn't give her a lot of details, but there was something about a previously unknown relative coming forward, and they had to go to Seattle for paperwork and some hearings and stuff.

"So when are they supposed to be back then?"

"They might not be coming back, Edward. If they found some of Bella or Jasper's family, they might go to live with them. They probably wouldn't go together and they might find the other a new foster home."

"Cool, how do I become a foster parent? Bella can come live with me," Eric Yorkie chimed in.

"With your luck, they'd send Jasper back to share a room with you! That's a bit more your speed, isn't it, Eric?" Ben teased him

Eric turned red, and we had a laugh at his expense, but he shrugged it off and knew we were just teasing. I was pretty sure Eric liked girls. I'd seen the way he looked at Bella, and even Katy and Jessica. He was just shy, and fell over himself when he was around girls. He was more comfortable around technology, computers, and his sound mixing equipment. He'd probably make a name for himself in the clubs as a DJ, or make it big in the recording industry. Then all of these people would be saying remember when… as they sat around complaining about their crappy lives.

My food came, and I ate as I chatted with my friends and the evening was enjoyable. The night was getting late, when an unfamiliar car pulled into the lot. Something about it seemed to make me think I'd seen it somewhere, but I didn't remember seeing it anywhere in town before. It was a red Volkswagen Rabbit, and it pulled in next to the Volvo and parked.

The doors opened, and I was surprised to see Jacob Black get out of the driver door. Quil Ateara got out of the passenger seat, and Embry Caul got out of the backseat. Now I remembered where I'd seen the Rabbit before, it was Jacob's project car. He'd been working on restoring it forever, but the last time I'd seen it, it was half taken apart in the garage behind his house in La Push and was four different colors.

I was expecting Jacob to come over to me, and I wondered what brought on this visit. Jacob usually called me and I went to see him. He rarely showed up in town for purely social calls. A lot of the kids here were scared of him, because they knew he ran with Sam Uley's crew, and they had a reputation as thugs and tough guys here in Forks. I was surprised when he went over to Eric Yorkie, but they were both smiling, and Jacob shook his hand and slapped him on the back. They talked for a couple of minutes, seemed to come to an agreement, and shook hands again. Jacob and his friends came over to my table then, and sat down.

"Hey, Edward, so the rumors are wrong, you are still alive," Jacob said with a grin on his face.

"You guys heard about that? Hey, you know it'd take more than just an out of control van to take me out."

"I hear you got some mad skills on that bike, and you should have been road kill," and he winked at Jessica. She blushed, and turned away. "Must be the techniques I taught you surfing, paying off in everyday life," Jacob said as he puffed out his chest.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," I grinned "So what brings you guys to Forks? Got a wild urge to hang out with the palefaces?

"Yeah right, as if! You know we're too cool for Forks! No, we're throwing a party out in La Push this weekend, and Sam wanted to know if I could line up a DJ for the party. I told him I knew someone, and we came to talk to Eric. That kids gonna go places. I'm just glad he hasn't made too much of a name yet, and he's still cheap."

"That's cool. He did an awesome job last week at Jessica's party."

"Yeah, I heard about that party. Is that why you're over here alone and Katy's over making time with the football team? Heard you guy's were fighting. So, is she back on the market?"

"That's up to her. We're taking some time to get our heads in a better place. She said she needs time to think, and I agreed it was a good idea."

"Hmm, sounds like she is then." Quil and Embry looked at each other and gave a knowing nod, and then Jacob went on. "So where's this hot brunette that everyone says you're drooling over, Bella something? Might put things in perspective for me, if I could see who could give Katy Decker a run for her money."

"Bella Swan, she's not here tonight. She had to go to Seattle for some custody hearing or something. I don't know if she'll even be coming back to Forks."

"Well, that's gotta suck. You blow it with Katy for some other chick, and now she might move away? That blows man."

"Hey, don't sweat it, I have a feeling she'll be back, or I'll see her again."

"Yeah, well we need to get going. Hey, Edward, you free this Saturday? Come out to La Push for the party, ok? I told Eric to invite his friends to come, beers on us. It's a big celebration the Elders throw every year, and you're all welcome to come join in."

The mention of free beer made a lot of ears perk up. That would get the attention of this crowd.

"Free beer?" Mike Newton asked.

"Yeah, even you Newton. You ready to try that cliff diving yet, or do you need to get your balls out of your girlfriend's purse first?" Jacob said with a calculating grin.

Mike blanched at the mention of cliff diving, and we all grinned. Jessica didn't seem to think it was so funny, but then she was dating him.

"Don't worry Mike, I'll make sure you don't drown if you want to give it a try. So what time does this shindig kick off on Saturday? Don't want to miss anything exciting."

"Be there around noon if you want to see the cultural heritage parts. Barbecue starts around three, and then we party 'til we can't stand up no more! There's gonna be a bonfire, and a lot of the guys like to tell ghost stories to scare the kiddies. Don't worry Mike, Jessica will hold your hand."

Everybody laughed, and then Jacob got up to leave. "So, you coming Edward?"

"Sounds like a hell of a party, I wouldn't miss it. I'll see you Saturday. Hey, if anybody asks, what exactly are you celebrating?"

"Some treaty the Tribal Elders made a hundred years ago. It made our traditional tribal lands off limits to our ancestral enemies, and supposedly, both sides have been honoring the treaty for a hundred years now. I think it's just an excuse to sell more trinkets in the gift shop, but they're buying the beer, so who am I to complain?"

"Right, see'ya Saturday," and Jacob and his boys went and got back in the Rabbit and left.

I hung out at the drive-in until it closed. I knew it was getting close to closing time, and I was surprised when Katy came over to talk to me.

"Hi Edward, I heard what you said to Jacob. So, am I 'back on the market'? I thought you hadn't made your decision yet?"

"No, not unless that's how you want it, we both said we needed time. Look, I'm not going to make any promises, but give me at least a week, ok? I told you I wasn't going to make a snap decision."

"Alright, Edward, but I miss you already. I'm sorry I yelled at you. Can we at least be friends?"

"You'll always be my friend Katy, no matter what, as long as you want me to be your friend."

"Thanks' Edward. Will you come run with me in the morning? We have that meet in Rainier tomorrow, and I want to be ready for it."

"I don't know if we should be alone together right now, Katy. It doesn't help me think…"

"I know, I asked Michaela if she'd run with us too. I'm thinking ahead. She wants to be ready for the race tomorrow too."

"OK, I'll see you at the usual time then, but you're riding to school with Michaela, right?"

"Ok, Edward, if that's how you want it… I'll give you space."

"Thanks' Katy. I'll see'ya in the morning."

The lights at the drive-in flashed off and on, to tell us it was closing time, and we all started to leave. Katy waved goodbye, reluctantly turned away, and walked over to get in the car with Michaela to get a ride home. I got in the Volvo and drove home.

Katy wanted to makeup again, and have everything go back to the way it was, but I knew I couldn't do that, at least not yet. If Bella and Jasper really were gone for good, it might work, but Bella had said they would be back, and Alice had told me the same thing. I knew better than to bet against Alice. If I went back to Katy now, I'd still have all the same problems that had plagued me since the beginning of school. I needed to know what Bella was, so I could make a decision. If I took Katy back, then I'd have to tell Bella to go away and stay out of my life.

Bella intrigued me, but I wanted to know just exactly what I was getting myself into if I decided that I'd rather have her in my life. I had to admit, at least on the surface, what I knew about Bella and what I'd seen appealed to me. C'mon, what seventeen year old boy didn't dream about superpowers? The package was attractive, in more ways than one. Bella was totally hot, and I'd been attracted to her since the first day of school. She said that if I was with her, then I'd be like her. So far, so good, but what was the catch? There had to be a downside that I didn't know about yet. You know, you can leap tall buildings in a single bound, but sorry, your dick falls off. I wanted the whole story before I made a decision.

I got home, and I was surprised. All the lights in the house were off except for the porch light by the kitchen. I had been halfway expecting Carlisle to be waiting up to continue where we'd left off this morning, or Alice waiting for me to come in so she could ambush me with some cryptic comment that would change my life, but it looked like everybody was asleep in their beds. I went in and went up to my room and went to bed, glad to be putting this long day behind me.

I should have known better than to expect a peaceful night's sleep after the day I'd had. I was restless and tossed and turned in my bed again. I couldn't figure out what was missing, but some element seemed to be wrong with this night, and I couldn't put my finger on it. Finally, it dawned on me; I missed the sense of attraction to Bella, the tug in my stomach that was so familiar to me now. I missed the lingering scent of freesia and strawberries that calmed my nerves, and allowed me to feel contented and safe when I was able to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

I didn't want to admit just how big a part of my life Bella had already become, but the sense of loss that I felt was profound now that she was gone. I lay there as the ache in my chest brought home the fact that she wasn't there, and I wondered when I'd see her again.

When I did finally sleep, I dreamed about Bella. I saw her face in the parking lot at the school, her golden topaz eyes filled with alarm and concern for me, the pale white skin of her face and hands as she saved my life, and her flowing mahogany hair. The blur of motion as she shielded my body with her own, and her hands as they flashed to the bike and pulled me out of harms way.

I had been telling myself that it was simply a physical attraction to Bella and I was charmed by her beauty, but I was also drawn to her intellect, her keen sense of humor, her compassionate heart, and her overall captivating personality. I was attracted to the person that she was just as much as I desired the outward physical package that had first drawn me in.

I got up at four to go to Katy's house to run. I didn't need the alarm; I was already awake, staring at the clock waiting to get up at the appropriate time to go through the motion of getting out of bed. I drove to Katy's house, and Michaela was already there, but she just lived down the block, and had jogged over to Katy's house for our run. We did our stretches, and left for our run, and for the first time in weeks, I didn't feel Bella's presence as we went for our morning run.

I was morose and brooding as we ran, and even quieter than usual. Katy assumed it was because of the way she had treated me, and the fact that she had pushed me away because of Bella. My mood was due in part to Bella, but not for the reasons that Katy felt. She assumed I was depressed because I wasn't with her, but I knew it was because I was separated from Bella and couldn't feel the attraction to her, and not because I was fighting with Katy. Katy would be upset if I told her, but I kept these feelings to myself.

I made it home in time to let Alice take the Volvo to drive downtown for her aerobics class. Normally she drove with Bella but obviously she wasn't around to pick her up and take her. Alice was going to have to drive herself out to Port Angeles tonight for her martial arts class. I'd be at the cross country meet, and Carlisle had appointments at the clinic in the evening. I suppose she could ask one of her girlfriends to drive out with her if she wanted to, but Alice was pretty independent, and she'd probably be ok on her own. Carlisle and I probably worried about her more than we needed to, but she just looked like somebody who needed protecting.

Alice and I made it to school on Thursday morning without incident. It was a short school day for me, the cross country team loaded onto the bus after second period, and we left on the trip out to Rainier for the third cross country meet of the season. This trip was different from the previous trips. Katy claimed our usual spot in the back of the bus, but Michaela and Brittany sat with her. I took a seat in the front of the bus, and it was obvious to our team mates that there was a change in our relationship. Some of the guys questioned me about it. They wanted to know if we'd broken up, but I wouldn't talk about it. They could figure that one out on their own and it might make my life easier, if Katy liked one of them.

The trip to Rainier was three and a half hours, but we stopped for a lunch break and fuel for the bus that added close to an hour to the trip. Thankfully, I slept on the second half after we stopped in Aberdeen, and was rested when we got to the school for the race. I woke up when we bounced into the parking lot at the high school, and I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I scanned the parking lot while the bus drove back to the designated bus parking area.

I was looking for the red BMW M3 convertible that I'd seen at the last two cross country meets. I spotted it in the parking lot as we drove back to the bus parking, now I just needed to figure out how to find Emmett, if he was really here today. The only reason I'd been able to talk to him before, was because he'd wanted to come talk to me. The fact that he considered Bella family, and that he had the same eyes made me think that he was like them too. Consequentially, he most likely had the same abilities as them. I was fairly certain I wouldn't be able to find him if he didn't want to be found, if he had the same abilities as Bella and Jasper, but I needed to try.

It was a typical overcast day, although it wasn't gloomy and misting out like much of the day had been in Forks, yesterday. We went through our typical routine, setting up camp, and preparing to run. I kept an eye out as we walked the course, wondering if I'd be able to spot Emmett in the clumps of bystanders moving around the course, getting into position to watch the races. We got back to camp, and started in on stretches, and then went and gathered at the starting line for the races.

The outcome was what I expected. I won again. I didn't want to come off as smug, or condescending, but I was in a motorcycle accident yesterday. I had spent the morning in the hospital after trying to crack my head on the parking lot, and I still blew the doors off these other kids. It was just something I was good at. I was fast, and running just seemed to be something that came naturally to me, like breathing. I was calm when I ran, and it put life into perspective and let me think. I'd always thought I had a connection to Katy, because she was into running too, but I knew I had a greater connection to Bella, and I missed feeling that connection to her when I ran, even though I knew she was hiding herself from me seeing her.

After the races, we went back to camp and ran our cool downs, and then I decided I needed to take a more direct approach if I was going to have a chance to talk to Emmett today. Every other time that he'd approached me, I'd been coming out of the men's room, so I figured it was worth a shot, and I excused myself to go to the restroom.

The setup here was a little different from the previous events I had attended this year. The area where the races were being held was away from the regular school buildings, and most of the race had been run on trails through the surrounding forest. There was a row of portable toilets along the edge of the forest, instead of a traditional restroom. I picked one and took care of business, and then I strolled back into the forest behind the porta-potties.

"Emmett, are you out there?" I called out into the trees, not too loudly, but louder than a normal speaking voice.

I felt kind of stupid, standing there calling out to the trees and forest, but I was sure he'd been out there watching me all the other times, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't see him if he didn't want to be seen. I was looking around, being as observant as possible, looking for any sign that he was there watching me. I was about to give up, and go back to the race camp when suddenly I felt a cold touch on my arm. It wasn't a hand on my shoulder like I'd been expecting, but I felt a hand on my arm, and the touch was icy cold.

I was startled, despite the fact that I was out here looking for Emmett. I almost jumped at the touch, but I held it together, and turned to look. If it was one thing these guys had down, it was the stealth and suddenly appearing out of nowhere shtick. I was surprised again, it wasn't Emmett standing there close enough to lay a hand on my arm, but the stunningly beautiful woman with caramel-colored hair that I'd seen sitting next to Jasper at the football game in Sequim.

She didn't look old enough to be the parent of a teenager, but she was dressed like a lot of the other moms I'd seen here today, and she'd have probably blended into the crowd until you noticed her ethereal beauty up close. She was wearing a pair of loose black slacks with a slight flare at the bottom of the legs, a Forks cross country t-shirt under a loose yellow nylon windbreaker, sandals, and a white sun visor, despite the fact the sky was overcast and the sun had yet to break through. Her digital camera hung in front of her chest on a strap around her neck. She looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, but if she claimed more years and said one of these kids was hers, I doubted anybody would give it a second thought beyond how good she looked for her age.

She had the same features that I had come to associate with Bella and her friends, or maybe family? She had the same pale white skin like Emmett, Jasper and Bella, and she was stunningly beautiful. I had to admit, Emmett and Jasper were both extremely handsome, although I didn't check out guys as a rule, but I'd seen the effect they had on girls despite the palpable sense of danger that they seemed to exude.

Her eyes were like Jasper's and Emmett's, and I suppose Bella's as well, although Bella's were black as often as they were golden when she was around me. There was something different about her eyes, though, or at least something I hadn't seen until now. Her eyes were a darker gold, not the darkness I'd come to associate with Bella's mood or anger, but they had an orange hue shot through with flecks of red, and I wondered what this new combination signified.

"Hello, Edward," she spoke in a musical voice that reminded me of Bella. "Emmett had chores to attend to today, and couldn't come. You really shouldn't be out here in the woods by yourself like this, it isn't safe. You should stay in crowded places when you're not in Forks."

"Am I safe with you?" I asked. I could feel the danger roll off of her in waves like Jasper, but I didn't feel threatened by her for some reason. It felt like I was talking to somebody's mom, despite the very real aura of danger I could sense, and I knew she was truly worried about my safety. "I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced, I'm Edward Cullen," and I held out my hand.

"I suppose you are, safe with me that is. I see why Bella likes you," and she smiled at me. She took my hand, and her touch was icy cold, but I didn't let myself react to it. "I'm Esmeralda Platt, but please, call me Esme.

"Hi, Esme, It's nice to meet you."

"Bella is very lucky, although she seems to think all her luck is bad. So young, and to have found you right under her nose when she was least expecting it. The same thing happened to Rose. Although some of us aren't nearly as lucky as either of them."

"You're one of Bella's friends from Seattle, right? Why wouldn't I be safe here? It's just a high school cross country meet."

"Oh I'm more than just Bella's friend. I suppose you could say I'm her mother for all practical purposes. She's been like a daughter to me, ever since Rose brought her home." She smiled at me, and I could sense her affection for the girl that she considered to be her daughter. I wondered again how Bella had ended up in Forks if she had a family that loved her, but Esme went on to answer my question. "You're not safe here, Edward, because our family has a lot of enemies. If they knew you were special to Bella, they would use you to hurt us, and it wouldn't be a pleasant experience for you. You need to be more careful."

"How would anybody know that there was any kind of connection between Bella and me? She isn't even my girlfriend, although I know she'd like to be. Aren't you all putting me in more danger simply watching me? I mean, if you weren't paying attention, how would anybody know there was something to look for?"

"You're very perceptive, that's good, but there are things you don't know. You feel your connection to Bella. There are others like us that can sense that connection. Some of them aren't friends and they'd find you. Simply being around Bella and Jasper would alert some that you'd been around them, and they might become curious. That curiosity would be a bad thing for you."

"Why are you telling me all of this? It's been like pulling teeth to get any information out of Bella at all."

"Because you're intelligent and perceptive, Edward, you'll figure things out on your own soon enough. Then you'll either be with Bella, or you'll be dead. It would kill her if anything happened to you, but she isn't powerful enough to protect you when Esteban finds out how much you already know. You've been wise to be discrete about all of this, if you had told anyone, you'd be dead already."

"Bella said that she wanted me to have free will and make my own choice. She said that if I chose Katy she'd back off and stay away."

"Yes, I'm sure she probably did tell you all of that. She's a very compassionate girl, and she always puts others feelings before her own needs. As long as you were completely in the dark, that was a possibility, but she exposed herself when she saved you in the parking lot. You already know too much, and by rights our laws should have claimed your life by now. The only thing protecting you and Bella now is the connection that you share. Either she'll claim you, or she'll die defending you. You have a different choice now, Edward."

"So you're telling me I need to choose Bella or death? While I'd hardly consider her to be a fate worse than death, that's still not much of a choice."

"No, you misunderstand me. I'm not going to let anything happen to my little girl. You get to choose if you're going to accept this willingly, or if we need to take more extreme measures, but one way or the other, you'll be with my Bella. I'm sure it would be very romantic if you decided that Bella was the one you want after all, but none of the rest of us had a choice in the matter. Perhaps I'm more traditional than Esteban gives me credit for after all."

"Choose what willingly, to become like you and Bella? To want her to be my girlfriend, is that a bad thing I should avoid? What extreme measures are you talking about? And what about Alice and Jasper? Alice has been waiting for Jasper to make a move since school started, but he's hardly talked to her, even though I knew he wanted to. Then Wednesday afternoon, he just up and leaves without so much as a goodbye!"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you anymore, but like I said, you'll probably figure things out on your own soon enough. You'll understand when you put all the pieces together. As far as Jasper is concerned, this has all been very difficult for him. He wants nothing more than to be with your sister, but he's under orders, and Jasper always follows his orders. He should be free to act soon, so you don't need to worry about Alice."

"He'll be free to act after Esteban comes back from Italy to test Bella?"

"You're not supposed to know that, but yes. He'll also be required to report to Esteban about you and Bella, and you know too much about us for him to let you live, unless you're one of us or bound by our laws."

"What about Alice, doesn't she need to make the same choice?"

"Alice has already made her choice, Edward, although she doesn't know all the details yet. She'll be with Jasper, and join our family. She's already talked to Bella about it. Apparently we're all just waiting on you."

"Bella doesn't know you're talking to me, does she."

"No, she doesn't, and she'd be very upset with me if she did. She wants you to make up your own mind and choose her because it's what you want, not because you're forced too because it's part of what we are. Unfortunately though, sometimes things don't always happen the way we'd like them too, and we just have to live in the real world. I know Bella told you to stay safe, and not to do anything stupid or reckless, but she wasn't specific enough. You really shouldn't be out in the woods by yourself, Edward. It isn't healthy for you right now."

"Anyhow, now you have something to think about. Esteban will be back next weekend, and one way or another; we'll all know how this is going to turn out once Jasper talks to him."

"So I have a week to decide then?"

"At least a week, it depends on what Esteban decides when he hears Jasper's report. He'll have some hard questions for Bella, too. It would be nice if she had some answers for him, and didn't have to force his hand."

"What kind of answers?"

"That you're cooperating, and aren't going to cause trouble. That you've accepted your connection to Bella and aren't fighting it."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry this is all so sudden for you, Edward, but to be honest, you're getting more forewarning and choices than any of the rest of my family. Well, Bella knew going in, but she was an accident, and she never planned to be a part of this life. Anyhow, I'm sorry it has to be like this, but you take what life throws at you, and make the best of it."

"So you're saying, 'if life gives you lemons, make lemonade'? I'm supposed to just accept my fate and roll with it? What if I run, or go to the authorities?"

"You're smart, you already know the answers. There's nowhere you could run where we wouldn't find you, or somebody you care about enough to protect. We own most of the authorities that might give you the time of day, and the ones we don't couldn't stop us, besides talking would seal your fate and Bella's. Running isn't so bad. We enjoy a good hunt, but I couldn't guarantee your safety, depending on who finally caught up with you."

Esme glanced up then, and looked past my shoulder, as though she was listening to something I couldn't hear.

"You need to get back now, Edward, you've been gone too long, and your team mates are looking for you. They're announcing the winners, and then they'll want to get on the road to head back soon. Think about what I said, and welcome to the family. You and Bella will be very happy together."

And then she was gone. One second I was talking to her and she was standing in front of me, and the next second she vanished into thin air like she'd never even been standing there. I knew it was futile for me to look for her. I wouldn't find her if she didn't want to be found. At least by me, so I walked back out to where the race officials were announcing the winners.

I got there in time to go up and get my medal, and then we posed for pictures. I spotted Esme in the crowd, and she had her digital camera out, taking pictures of me and the other winners. We picked up our camp and loaded the bus after the awards were done, and then piled in for the long ride back to Forks.

We didn't get back to the high school in Forks until ten thirty that night after the long bus ride home. I'd thought about what Esme had told me, and I thought about talking to Alice about it, but she'd told me we'd talk on Saturday. She was expecting that we'd figure something out when we went to the party and tribal celebration in La Push this weekend, and I'd wait to confront her until then. Hopefully we'd be able to compare notes and figure out just exactly what was going on, and what Jasper and Bella were.

One thing bothered me though. Alice had said that it wasn't important what they were when I asked her. Esme said that Alice had already made her decision, even though she didn't have all the details. She loved Jasper unconditionally, and she was willing to be with him, regardless of the consequences.

Why was it so important to me to have all the facts? Why did I need all the details to make such a simple choice? But that was my nature, I had always been this way, and I had to overanalyze every decision. I'd never had to make a choice like this before, but was I using my desire for information to stall when I should be making a snap decision? The time for stalling and looking for answers was running out, and I'd need to make some decisions real soon.

Of course, considering what Esme had told me at the cross country meet, she had already made my decision for me, and now I had to decide if I was going to go along with that choice, or try and fight it. Well I didn't know if I wanted to fight it, or if I could or even should. What I did know, was that I needed to know what was going on, and just what exactly Bella and her family were. If I did decide I needed to run or fight, I had to know what I was up against to have any chance at all.

Alice was waiting for me in the Volvo, when the bus pulled into the parking lot at school to let us unload and go home. I talked to Alice about her trip out to Port Angeles, and just mentioned that I'd won my race when she asked about the cross country meet. We went home, and I took a shower and went to bed.

My night passed pretty much the same as the night before and I was restless tossing and turning until I finally fell into a fitful sleep out of sheer exhaustion. I got up at four to go to Katy's house to run, and again I didn't need the alarm to know it was time to get out of bed and start another day.

Alice was waiting for me in the kitchen when I came downstairs and I drove us to Katy's house. Michaela was already there, stretching for our run when we pulled into the driveway, and greeted us. The three of us were waiting when Katy came out, and Michaela helped her stretch before we went for our morning run.

Alice and I said goodbye when we got back to Katy's house, and we left to go home to change for school. At least it was Friday, and the end of another week. I was looking forward to the weekend, but Alice had an away football game tonight, and she'd have to ride the bus out to Rochester today. She came downstairs in her cheerleading uniform, and I could tell that she was depressed that Bella wasn't coming by the house to pick her up.

We drove to school, and things were almost back to normal for me, but Alice, Jessica, the other cheerleaders and the football team had a short day. Tyler was back in school, but he still had a bandage on his head, and he didn't remember what had happened during the accident. A lot of that day was blank for him, and all he really remembered was waking up in the hospital that night. He wore his football jersey to school like the rest of the team, but he wasn't going to get to play tonight.

I could tell he didn't like it, but Mr. Banner just waved them out of the room when Alice, Jessica, Angela, and Mike all got up halfway through AP Chemistry to go out to the bus to leave for the football game. There were a couple of other football players in the class, and only about half the seats were still occupied after they left.

It was a three hour drive to Rochester, and the game wouldn't start until seven tonight. The bus would stop for a dinner break on the way out, and then they'd have about an hour to warm-up before the game started. Some of the diehard fans and parents would probably drive out to watch their kids play, but I was pretty sure there wouldn't be near the turn out that they'd had in Sequim, despite the fact that it was a winning season so far. I wasn't planning to drive out to watch the game, and I didn't know anybody else at school that was planning to attend that wasn't riding on the bus.

That Friday night was kind of quiet in Forks, like Friday nights often were during the sports seasons. Most of our away games were too far to travel to, unless you went with the team. The school was small enough, that a good percentage of the kids that I usually hung out with during the rest of the week were on the teams.

Katy, Michaela and Brittany were at the drive-in that night, but they kept to themselves. Tanner and Dean were on the football team, but the kids from the cross country team were there. I ended up chatting with Eric Yorkie about his plans to go to college and his career goals to be a DJ or get into the music industry. I really didn't know much about it, but Eric was starting to research it. I talked to Katy before I went home and told her I was going out to La Push tomorrow and wasn't going to go running in the morning. I left early to go home and wait up for Alice. She'd be late, but I'd told her I'd pick her up at the school.

I found myself in the music room, seated at the piano. It had been my mother's, and like the Volvo, we'd been unable to part with it when we moved. I had spent hours sitting at this piano practicing and learning at my mother's side. I'd never taken formal lessons, but my mother had played beautifully, and she had taught me. Once she'd taught me all that she could, we had continued on together, exploring and learning and teaching each other. I hadn't found a lot of time to play in the last year. I'd played a couple of times for Katy, but she considered it a novelty. Something that was interesting about me, but it seemed to bore her, and we found other things to occupy our time.

Now my fingers moved on the keys, as I ran through some classics and my favorites to loosen up and get used to the feel again. I let myself go and my fingers flew over the keys, in tune to my emotions as I let the music take me away. There was a snatch of melody that had been teasing at the edge of awareness. I coaxed it out into the open to see what it was, a lullaby perhaps? I hadn't been sleeping well lately, and it seemed appropriate. I thought of Bella and how I felt contented and peaceful when I could feel her presence and the melody swelled and took shape in my mind and flowed out through my fingers to surround me with sound.

I was shocked out of my reverie when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I stopped playing and got it out. I realized the lateness of the hour for the first time as I glanced at the time on the face of my phone. I opened it and read the text message from Alice. It was after one in the morning, the bus was almost back to town on the trip home, and I needed to leave to meet her at the school.

I drove to the school and picked Alice up when the bus arrived back from the trip to Rochester. The mood of the team seemed improved from what I'd seen in school the last couple of days. Everyone had been really depressed since the accident on Wednesday, especially since Tyler was injured, and couldn't play. He was the star quarterback, and had led the team to our first two victories, but Tanner had stepped up to fill his spot, and the team had three wins under their belt now.

Alice was quiet as we drove, and her mood still seemed subdued, despite the improvement in the morale of the football team and the other cheerleaders. I had an idea what was bothering her. I knew she missed Jasper and Bella. Bella had spent the last two Friday nights at our house, and now she was gone. Well, I knew either they'd be back soon, or it wouldn't matter anymore. I just hoped things turned out alright for Alice. She'd been through a lot and deserved some happiness in her life.

We got home and went upstairs to our rooms to go to bed. Hopefully tomorrow would help me start putting the pieces together to see just what I was getting myself into.

I spent another restless night tossing fitfully in bed, drifting off and then finding myself awake staring at the clock. I didn't need to get up early today to run, and slept in despite my wakefulness. Of course sleeping late is a relative term considering I was up at four most mornings to run. I got up at six and got dressed for the beach. Alice and I had decided we would surf today until the celebration started, so I went downstairs to get things going.

Alice was waiting for me in the kitchen when I walked in and silently handed me coffee. We ate breakfast, and I could tell Alice had gotten even less sleep than me from the dark circles under her eyes, but I didn't comment on it. I went out to load the rack and surf boards onto the Volvo. Alice came out and we left for La Push.

It was only a thirty five minute drive out to the tiny resort community on the coast that was home to the Quileute Indian Tribe. I drove north out of Forks on the 101, and then turned left onto highway 110 towards the coast. I followed La Push road when it branched south off of the highway. Highway 110 continued west towards the coast, but it ran along the north shore of the Calawah River, and dead ended close to the ocean. La Push was on the southern shore of the river, where the river mouth emptied into the Pacific Ocean, and you had to back track for miles before there was a bridge to cross the river, if you made the mistake of staying on the 110.

We came into La Push, but I didn't drive all the way out to the harbor. I turned off through the Ocean Side Resort, and took the road that doubled back south. It came out into a parking area by First Beach, and I pulled into a parking place. Michaela's Nissan Sentra was parked in the lot, and Jessica's and Ben's cars were here already parked in the lot too.

We got out of the car, and Alice went back to the trunk to start getting into her wetsuit as I unloaded the surf boards. Alice came back to have me help her with her zipper, and then I went back and got into my wetsuit. I pulled on my water shoes, and we went down the trail to the shore.

Michaela and Katy were already out in the water, and I could see Jacob and Quil out in the surf too. Angela was wrapped in a blanket and wearing a coat as she sat, cuddling with Ben, on a dead drift wood tree trunk that was washed up on shore above the high tide line. She had her digital camera and was taking pictures of the people surfing and the landscape that made up her backdrop. Jessica was in the water waiting for Mike, but he was standing in the knee deep surf along the shore, reluctantly considering if he really wanted to go in this morning.

"Last one in's a rotten egg!" Alice yelled as we jogged past him into the deeper water, and then started to paddle out through the breakers into the ocean.

Jessica looked pissed that we had beaten them into the water, and turned her back on Mike to follow us out. I glanced back, and Mike was following us, but he didn't look real happy. Alice and I paddled out through the incoming waves until we made it out onto the ocean where we could ride out the surge and swell of the water, out past the breakers.

Mike and Jessica weren't far behind us as we sat on our boards while the water surged and moved under us. We could feel the ocean rise and fall as the waves built up along the ocean bottom, gathering speed as they surged in towards the shore, breaking in white caps as they rolled into the waiting gravel covered beach.

Jacob and Quil started their approach as the next wave rolled in, and they started to paddle ahead of the wave, building up speed to match the incoming wave. Their timing was perfect, and Jacob popped up staying just ahead of the breaking part of the wave, right in the pocket, ahead of the white water to ride down the face of the wave. Quil was right with him, a little further north, and they yipped and howled like wild Indians as they carved up the face of the wave.

Katy and Michaela were still ahead of us and slightly north, and they lined up on the next wave as Alice and I settled in to watch them make their run. Michaela had waved to us as we paddled out, but Katy had been studiously watching the horizon, ignoring our presence as we moved out to join them.

Katy and I might be having our differences, but I had to admire her skill as she built speed paddling into position, and then gracefully dropped into the curl on the face of the wave as she popped up to stand on her surf board. The girl had skills as she cut back across the face of the wave, popped up to get air and ollie off the top of the wave, and then did a top turn to shoot spray over at Michaela. I could hear her laughing as she dropped back into the pocket, riding the wave toward the beach, and I felt a mild pang of regret. It was usually me she was laughing with when we were out here, before Bella came into my life.

I turned to look at Alice. We were up now and I was scanning to gauge our wave, when I spotted Newton back paddling around us moving into position to snake our wave. There was a kind of unwritten code out here, and we were out here first. It was our turn now, but Mike was moving to position himself to steal our wave. I was ready to yell at him to knock it off, but I caught the look on Alice's face, and then she smiled at me and shook her head. I shut my mouth and relaxed to watch the show, Alice was usually right about these things, and I'd talk to Mike later. This was all new to him, and maybe he didn't know any better. He'd only been doing this since the summer, and was hoping his skills were improved enough by this winter, when the really big waves would be driven in by the winter storms.

Mike almost missed the wave, misjudging the speed of the swell as he paddled forward to match the speed of the wave. He dropped in too close to the white water where the wave was breaking and choppy as he awkwardly popped up to stand on the surf board. He was riding goofy foot, with his left foot on back of board and his right foot forward, but he wasn't a lefty, and I knew he wasn't skilled enough to switch foot. He looked unstable as he fought to keep his balance, and then he pearled accidentally driving the nose of the board underwater. He wiped out as he went over the falls and the wave sucked him down to the bottom and carried him in a circular motion with the lip of the wave, like the 'wash cycle' in a washing machine.

I thought we were going to have to go and drag him out and make sure he didn't drown, but then his board surfaced, and Mike popped up like a cork next to it. Well, at least he didn't hit his head on it, and started to pull the board to him with the leash attached to his ankle. He pulled himself back onto the board, and waved to show that he was ok, but he turned and started to paddle the rest of the way into shore, instead of coming back out to try again.

Alice and I setup to catch the next wave as Alice moved us into position. She had a real feel for this, and I knew better than to second guess her. I hadn't been doing this as long as Jacob or Katy, but I definitely had more skills than Mike, and I'd been out here last winter when the really big waves were rolling in. The seas didn't get as outrageous as Mavericks, down by Half Moon Bay in California, but there were some huge waves here after a storm. It was still decent in summer and the fall.

We lined up with the swell, and started to paddle forward to match the speed of the incoming breaker. We dropped into the pocket ahead of the curl, and popped up on the face of the wave to let it hurl us toward the shore. It was one of those moments of perfect clarity as I focused on the wave and the speed and the rush of the water. Katy didn't matter. All of my problems, the threats, Bella's family, none of it mattered as I carved up the face of the wave. I popped up on the face of the wave and got air, and then over-rotated to re-enter the wave and floated the top of the lip as the run ended.

Jacob and Quil were already back out in the deeper water, waiting for Jessica to make her run, and Katy and Michaela were on their way back out. I yelled at Mike to tell him to get his ass back out here, and Alice and I turned back out and started to paddle back out to sea. The rest of the morning went like that as we took our turns at the waves. Mike finally came back out to join us, and made a couple of good runs.

Around noon, we got out of the water, and headed up to the car to change out of our wetsuits. We rinsed off in the outdoor showers outside the public restroom at the beach, and then changed to go down to the harbor. I loaded the surf boards back onto the rack on the roof of the car, and we left to drive downtown to see what was going on for the celebration.

The tribal elders had a couple of office buildings down by the river where they held council meetings and ran the local affairs of the Tribe. La Push was a small unincorporated community, but the tribe was a recognized political organization, and held jurisdiction over the local area. It wasn't really much of a town, and was tiny even compared to Forks. There was the harbor with the new marina with slips for about forty to fifty boats up to fifty feet long, along the south shore of the Calawah River. A couple of fishing boats operated out of La Push, but most of the boats were pleasure craft that either belonged to locals, or the people staying in the resort cabins.

The harbor district was made up of a couple of streets along the river and a couple of streets of houses. There were a lot more trailers than houses built on foundations, and some of the houses had started out as trailers, but had been added onto for additional space. There were two resorts down by the beach that rented cabins, some gift shops that sold souvenirs, native craft items and local artwork and a gas station at the general store.

There were another couple of small residential areas in the forest on the bluffs overlooking the beach, and the tribal school was located in the one further south, but they were both less than a mile from the harbor and the resorts. The tribe controlled the surrounding forest, and the land along the river out to the Quillayute State Airport. There were homes, trailers, and small farms and places where people lived scattered throughout the area around La Push.

I parked at the general store, south of the marina, across the street from the community center. Alice and I got out of the car and walked across River Drive to the crowd gathering by the community center and the Tribal Council building next door. It looked like we were just in time to watch the start of the show. There were a lot of people in festive and stylized native costumes, and it looked like they were queuing up for a parade.

I spotted Jacob in the crowd, and I took Alice's hand to draw her along behind me as we made our way over to him. Jacob was standing with a group of people, and I knew Quil, Embry, Paul, and Jared, but there were a couple of others I hadn't met before. Quil and Embry still looked like teenagers, but Paul and Jared had gone through some kind of strange growth spurt this last summer, and now they towered over the other kids, and looked older, like Sam. I'd been shocked when Jacob told me he was only twenty because he looked so much older. There was a younger boy with the group that looked like a younger version of Jacob, and a tall girl holding Jacob's hand.

She was about 5'10" tall, with a slightly muscular athletic build that left her looking lean and fast. She was wearing a pair of faded jeans, a t-shirt and cheap worn looking running shoes, and I could see the strong smooth muscles move under her flawless russet skin. She was pretty, with sharp clear features. She had high cheek bones and a long straight nose, her face wasn't too wide, but just right to accentuate her slightly almond shaped eyes. Her eyes were a clear piercing blue, and she had long straight black hair that hung down her back, almost to her waist.

I'd seen her before, this season at the cross country meets, and I knew who she was although I'd never been introduced. She was Leah Clearwater, and she ran on the Quileute Tribal School team. She'd beat Katy at the meet in Rainier on Thursday, and was probably her strongest rival for the state championship this year.

"Hey, Jacob, so is this the place? When are they gonna get the show on the road?"

"Hey, Edward," Jacob said as he turned to greet me. "I was wondering if you were gonna come up to watch the show, or stay out there all day with the fish."

"I might be into surfing, but I wouldn't miss this, the whole tribal heritage thing sounded kinda cool. Now, are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"God, you're starting to sound like my dad! Leah, this is Edward and Alice Cullen, Some of the cool kids from Forks. Edward, Alice, this is Leah Clearwater, my girlfriend," Jacob said with a smile.

"Hey! I told you, we live in Forks, we're not from Forks," I reached out to shake Leah's hand. "It's nice to finally meet you Leah. You ran a good race on Thursday. Good luck with the rest of the season."

"Thank you, Edward," Leah said as she took my hand. Her grip was warm and firm, and then she let go. "Yeah, Katy gave me a run for my money, but I'm going all the way to State this year! So, where is Katy? Jacob said you guys broke up, but I didn't believe him, you two looked so good together."

"She's around here somewhere. We're still together, but we decided we needed some time to think about our relationship…"

Leah raised an eyebrow, and nodded. Then she turned and indicated the younger boy with the group. "This is my little brother, Seth. I told my parents I'd keep him out of trouble today."

"Jeez, Leah, you make me sound like a baby or something, I'm fifteen, and mom sent me along to keep an eye on Jacob and his roaming hands!" We all got a laugh out of that, and Seth seemed like a nice kid.

"Yeah, whatever," and she turned to Alice, and shook hands and said hello.

"So, Jacob are you going to give us the play by play and explain what's going on here?"

"Yeah, Jacob," Embry chimed in, elbowing him in the ribs, "we know how much you love all the old stories," And all of them laughed. "Tell us a story, Please!" He wheedled in a little boy falsetto.

I must have had a questioning look on my face as I watched them tease Jacob, and then Leah took pity on me and filled me in on the joke.

"Jacob hates all the old stories, Edward. His dad, Billy, has been drilling those legends into his head since he could walk."

"Your dad's on the tribal council too, Leah, but I don't see Harry droning on about the legends and the old ways like Billy does! That shit drives me crazy!"

"Yeah, well I'm a girl, and I'm not the grandson of Ephraim Black."

"Who was Ephraim Black, and what does that have to do with Jacob?" I asked.

"Well, today, the tribe is run by the tribal council, but Ephraim Black, Jacob's grandfather was the last great chief of the Quileute Tribe. Billy has a hereditary right to a place on the Tribal Council, and Jacob is supposed to take his place on the Council someday, running the tribal affairs."

"Yeah, and he's been drilling all the old legends into my head for as long as I can remember, 'to prepare me to take my place in the Tribe'. I'm ok with that now I guess. What I don't get is why the hell Sam is on the Tribal Council."

"Sam's on the Tribal Council?" I asked. "Sam Uley? How the hell did he swing that?"

"Yeah, it's crazy, I know. Sam might be my friend, but he was a thug and criminal that the Council was trying to run out of La Push a couple of years ago. He ran away from home and spent a summer in Seattle, and the next thing you know, he's back and the whole council is fawning over him. They gave him a special advisory seat on the council, and he goes to all the meetings. They even look the other way about his business dealings, and congratulate him on improving the local economy!"

The parade was starting now, and the first groups were moving down the street. They stopped in front of the Tribal Council building to perform, and now I could see the Council out in front. Billy Black was sitting in his wheelchair between Harry Clearwater, Leah's dad, and old Quil Ateara, Quil's grandfather. Sam Uley was there with them, and another Lady I didn't recognize.

"Jacob, will you explain what's going on for me?" Alice asked. "I haven't heard the stories, and it would be great if you cold tell us, since you know them so well."

Jacob looked down at Alice, and smiled. "Ok, just for you, Alice. You've talked me into it."

Then Jacob pointed to the group of men in costumes dancing in front of the Tribal Council building.

"That group represents the Spirit Warriors. It's one of our most ancient legends. The Quileute have always been considered a tribe with powerful magic by the other coastal tribes. According to the legend, long ago, our warriors had the ability for their spirit to leave their bodies to defend our tribe."

"How did being able to leave their bodies make them powerful?" Alice asked.

"In spirit form, they could communicate with each other with their minds and know each others thoughts, they could control the weather and the winds, and they could speak to the animals of the forest and ask them to fight for them."

The first group had finished, and now another group was performing. There were two men dressed like the Spirit Warriors, and a third man slowly circling them at a distance in what looked like a stylized wolf costume. He had a headdress that looked like the top of a wolf's head, with a cape of fur down his back, and paws on his hands as he stalked around the two in the middle.

"This legend marks the end of the Spirit Warriors, and the start of the Wolf Pack. One of the Spirit Warriors, Utlapa, wanted the Quileute to use their power to dominate the other tribes that were our friends," and Jacob pointed out one of the two dancers in the middle.

"The Chief, Taha Aki, refused, and banished him from the tribe. Utlapa, came back in spirit form, and stole Taha Aki's body, and everyone thought he was the chief. Utlapa killed his old body, before Taha Aki could find it and go into it to warn the tribe. Utlapa used his power as chief to control the tribe with an iron hand, and took many wives from the families of the tribe."

Now the Utlapa dancer cavorted around in the center as the Taha Aki dancer started to spiral out to where the wolf dancer circled the other two.

"Taha Aki was trapped in the spirit world, with no way to contact his people, and no body to return to. He longed for the feel of a body again, when he found one of the great wolves of the forest. These wolves were bigger and more powerful than the wolves that are left here today. Taha Aki talked to the wolf in his spirit form, and the wolf allowed him to share his body, accepting Taha Aki's spirit form."

Now the dancer in the Spirit Warrior costume moved off, and the wolf started to dance into the middle.

"Taha Aki returned in the wolf form. He fought with Utlapa, and was finally victorious. Taha Aki defeated him, but his body was killed in the battle, and now he was trapped in the wolf. According to legend, his grief was so great, that the wolf couldn't comprehend it. It was a man's grief, not a wolf's and something magical happened."

The wolf dancer stood upright like a man, and cast down the paws and threw back the wolf head to stand as a man before the Tribal Council.

"The wolf transformed into a man, and Taha Aki stood before the tribe in a man's body, but he didn't look like Taha Aki anymore. He looked like his spirit form, but in a living, breathing body. The warriors recognized him, and accepted him as chief. From that day forward, the legend says that Taha Aki and his sons could take the wolf form to defend our tribe and fight our enemies."

"So, you're saying you're descended from wolves?" I asked. "Well, you sure eat like a wolf. Maybe that's why Harry is worried about you around his daughter," I laughed, and the rest of the group joined in.

"Hey, it's not just me!" Jacob exclaimed. "We're all cousins or related one way or another! You've all got just as much wolf in you as I do!" Jacob teased back.

The boys howled and yipped like wolves, Leah and Alice rolled their eyes and I laughed with them. The rest of the parade and cultural displays were interesting, but they didn't give me a whole lot of information about my situation. I realized something, though, as the afternoon wore on. Jacob had said that this celebration was to commemorate a treaty between the Tribe and their ancestral enemies, but nobody had mentioned the treaty, or just who exactly these ancestral enemies were.

Something occurred to me as I was thinking about this. I'd asked Bella if she wanted to come out to La Push with me to meet Jacob, and she said she wasn't allowed to go to La Push because of some terms in her adoption. I hadn't thought about it at the time, but it just seemed too coincidental to not be somehow related. Did Bella's family have something to do with this treaty and the Quileute Tribes ancestral enemies?

Around three, Jacob told us to come up and meet him for the barbeque and Alice and I went and got in my car to head up to the bluffs overlooking First beach. A lot of other kids from Forks were showing up now, and there was a pretty good crowd. We hung out with our friends, and had some beers, but nothing too outrageous. I wanted to stay alert for something that would relate back to Bella and Jasper.

We had some burgers and hot dogs, and Eric Yorkie started pumping out dance music as the sun started to sink over the horizon. I danced with Alice and Leah, and even gave in and danced a couple of songs with Katy, but I kept it friendly and maintained my distance. I told her I still wasn't ready, when she asked if I wanted to go for a walk to get away from the crowd.

I was tempted to give in, and go off with her, but I knew what would happen. It wasn't fair to her or Bella if I gave in to my baser urges now. I was here to get information to make decisions about my future. If I went off with Katy now, knowing what I did, then I'd be using her, and I wasn't like that. If I went back to Katy, it would be to make a commitment to be with her, and only her. I couldn't say that she would be a part of my future right now, so I told her no and we got another beer instead.

The bonfires started up at twilight as the sun sank past the horizon and the sky darkened. Eric started in on some sets of more mellow slow songs to let couples get closer together, and I saw Jacob holding Leah as the moved together to the music. I lost track of them for a while, but then saw them coming back to the party from one of the forest trails at the edge of the clearing. They settled in to cuddle by one of the bonfires, and Alice and I headed over to join them. The rest of Jacob's crew was there, but I hadn't seen Sam, Paul, or Jared for a while.

"Hey, Jacob, good party, thanks' for inviting us out," I said as we sat down and got comfortable.

"Thanks for coming, but it's not my party. Everyone was invited," and he gently kissed Leah's cheek as she snuggled against him.

"So, the other night, you said this party was to celebrate some treaty the Tribal Elders made a hundred years ago that made your tribal lands off limits to your ancestral enemies, right?"

Jacob nodded, but seemed more interested in Leah than talking to me.

"So, if the party is to celebrate this treaty, why hasn't anyone said anything about it all day? I haven't heard anything about these ancestral enemies of your Tribe. Who are they, and where did they go?"

"Why do you want to know about that crap, Edward? It's all just a bunch of old stories that our ancestors told for entertainment around the campfire. We've got TV and movies now, and they do a better job than a bunch of old Indians telling stories they learned from their grandfathers to scare each other.

"Well, we've got a campfire, but I don't see any TV. So scare me, what's the big deal anyhow? You were laughing about it the other day in Forks."

Jacob looked uncomfortable now, and Quil and Embry were snickering under their breath. They seemed to enjoy Jacob's discomfort for some reason.

"Knock it off you jokers," Jacob scolded them as he shot a glare in their direction.

"Yeah, it isn't just your pride that's hurt," Embry said with a smirk. "You're lucky Billy's in that wheelchair or he would have tanned your hide good if he could catch you."

Jacob scowled at him, and gave him the finger and flipped him off, and then turned back to me.

"Ok, Edward, the thing is, we're not supposed to talk about the treaty with anyone outside the Tribe. When I got home, and Billy found out what I'd told you, he was royally pissed. It's just that he's been telling me these stories for so long, sometimes I forget that not everyone knows them."

"Yeah, well I already know about them, the stories and the treaty. You said yourself, they're just a bunch of old stories, so what's it going to hurt to tell me the rest? You know I can keep a secret, and won't tell anyone unless you say it's ok."

Jacob took a drink of his beer, and seemed lost in thought for a minute, and then seemed to come to a decision.

"Yeah, you're a good friend, Edward, and I've always been able to trust you. Ok, I'll tell you the rest, but silly as this all sounds, you can never repeat any of this to anyone that isn't Quileute."

"Sure, Jacob, I got your back man."

"Ok, to understand about the treaty, you need to know the legends about the Apotamkin, the Cold Ones."

"The Cold Ones?" I asked. That struck a chord. I remembered how cold Esme's touch had been when she laid her hand on my arm and shook my hand on Thursday in Rainier. Alice stiffened next to me, and I knew how close she had been to Bella. She had to be thinking the same thing as me.

"Yeah, I told you the story about the Spirit Warriors, and how Taha Aki became the first Quileute to take the wolf. The story doesn't end there. Taha Aki learned that he no longer aged like a normal man, and he lived the age of three old men before he became weary of his lot, and gave up his spirit wolf. After a while, he started to age again and grow old like a man."

"Taha Aki was an old man, when trouble started with the Makah Tribe to the north. Young maidens of the Makah tribe started to disappear and vanish into the forest. The Makah Chief blamed the Quileute wolves for stealing the maidens, and the tribes were on the brink of war. Taha Aki was too old to lead the people as a warrior now, so he sent his oldest wolf-son, Taha Wi, to investigate."

"Taha Wi took a pack of five of the Quileute wolves, and they ran north looking for the lost maidens and whatever had taken them. They traveled far to the north, and finally they found a new sickly sweet scent in the forest that burned their noses. They found traces of human scent, and traces of human blood. Taha Wi was sure that this had to be the creature that had attacked the Makah's, but they were so far north, he sent half the pack back to report to Taha Aki. Taha Wi and the other two wolves never returned." Then Jacob was quiet for a minute, but there had to be more.

"What, so that's it, they smelled something bad in the forest, and that's what's got you so riled up for so long?"

"No, there's more. They searched for Taha Wi, but they never found him. Taha Aki went to the Makah Chief in his mourning clothes, and the chief believed Taha Aki's grief and the tensions between the tribes ended. A year later, two more Makah maidens disappeared, and runners from the Makah's came, seeking the aid of the Quileute wolves to search for them."

"They went to the Makah camp, and found the same sickly sweet scent, and knew it was the same creature. The wolves went on the hunt, but only the youngest member of the pack, Yaha Uta, survived to come back and tell what they had found. He carried the corpse of the creature in pieces, and told what had happened."

"Yaha Uta told how he and his brothers had come upon the creature in the forest. It looked like a man, but its eyes glowed red, like the color of blood and its lips were wet with the blood of its victims. One of the maidens was already dead, white and bloodless on the ground. The other was in the creatures arms, still alive, with his mouth on her throat, draining her life blood. When the wolves approached him, he quickly snapped the girl's neck, and tossed her lifeless body to the ground."

"The wolves fought the creature, but it was stronger and faster than any man. Only Yaha Uta survived the battle, and told how the creature wasn't warm like a man, but cold as ice. In the end, the wolves were able to tear the creature into pieces, and Yaha Uta carried the pieces back to the tribe so the elders could examine them. They laid out the pieces into the shape of a man, but they were horrified when one of the hands reached out to the arm, and tried to reattach itself. The horrified elders set fire to the pieces, and the creature burned with a thick cloud of vile purple smoke."

"The tribal elders were afraid of the creature, and hid the ashes in scattered locations so it would never try to reassemble itself again. They called it Apotamkin, the Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone. Only one wolf remained to protect the tribe, young Yaha Uta."

"So these Apotamkin, the Cold One's, they're your tribes ancestral enemy?" I asked. "So how did you end up making a treaty with them? Sounds like all you guys did at first was fight with them."

"Hey, you're the one that said you wanted to hear the old legends. There's hours of this shit, and Billy can spout it out forever, droning on like a recording. But yeah, that's all they did for a long time, generation after generation, and you have to remember, the wolves didn't age like normal men, either."

"Ok, so what about this treaty then?"

"Ok, well most of that legendary shit happened thousands of years ago, but it get's really freaky about the treaty. The treaty was signed a hundred years ago, but my grandfather, Ephraim Black was chief of the tribe when the treaty was signed.

"How old was your grandfather when the treaty was signed? Billy doesn't look that old."

"Nobody will ever say for certain, the just say that he was a grown man in his prime. I never met him. He died before I was born, but Billy is only thirty nine. He was born in 1967. If Ephraim Black was twenty five when he signed the treaty, then he would have been like ninety two, when Billy was born. I've seen pictures of him with my dad, and he didn't look like he was in his ninety's."

"Ok, that is kind of freaky, but what happened that led to this treaty with your enemies, these Apotamkin, the Cold Ones?"

"Ok, well according to the legend, Ephraim Black, was the leader of the Quileute Wolf Pack, when they discovered a new large group of Cold Ones scouting out the area. Ephraim prepared the wolves to fight the Cold Ones, but he knew there were too many of them, they were hopelessly out numbered and would surely die."

"To their surprise, the Cold Ones didn't want to fight, but came to talk. They had heard stories about the Quileute Wolves, and wanted to see if they were true. Ephraim had nothing to lose hearing them out, and our tribe would be wiped out if he fought, so he decided to listen."

"Sounds like your grandfather was a very wise man, Jacob."

"He was a pragmatist. Sometime's you've just gotta take what life dishes out and roll with it." Seems I'd heard that advice before, but I didn't say anything about that.

"Yeah, whatever, so what were the terms of this treaty that they negotiated?"

"You know, the basic stuff, they wouldn't come on our land without permission, and we wouldn't go out of our way to hunt them. They said they were more civilized than the Cold Ones that had hunted humans on our lands. They called them nomads and rogues, and said that their kind didn't kill humans anymore, when they could avoid it. They offered peace between their kind and our tribe, and promised they wouldn't say anything about the wolves, and we wouldn't out them to the palefaces, but there was one more important concession we had to make."

"Ok, I'll bite, what did they want?"

"They said that there were different factions of Cold Ones that fought each other, just like there were different tribes of our people. They wanted to recruit soldiers to fight for them. They claimed the right to offer gold for the services of any wolf that would join them to help fight others of their kind."

"They were looking to hire the wolves as mercenaries to fight for them? What did they say?"

"Ephraim signed the treaty. It was an agreement to keep the Cold Ones off our lands. There were too many for him to fight and he was confident in the loyalty of the pack. There were only three wolves, and they were fiercely loyal."

"Yeah, I can see where that would be an advantage…"

"What he didn't count on was Joshua Uley. Supposedly, he ran away from home, and went off in search of the Cold Ones, to seek his fortune."

"Joshua Uley? Any relation to…"

"Yeah, he's supposed to be Sam's long lost father or grandfather or something, but Sam won't talk about it. Besides, this is all a complete load of horse shit. People don't turn into wolves and go running through the forest, and there aren't any monsters out there waiting to drink your blood and snap your neck. C'mon, this is the twenty-first century, and nobody believes this crap!"

"No, of course not, It's all just a bunch of scary stories," But I felt a chill run down my spine as I thought about what Jacob had said and the stories he told.

"Huh, I don't know," Seth chimed in. "That wolf crap sounds totally cool to me! I'd go totally Michael Landon on your ass. You know, 'I was a teenaged werewolf', sweet man! And not having to age anymore unless you wanted too? How cool is that?"

"God, you're bad enough now," Leah groaned. "Can you imagine having to put up with you as a perpetual teenager forever? I'm glad this is just a story! That would be a nightmare!"

"Ah, c'mon sis, you know you love me! Hey, I'm cool, I don't go runnin' off to mom to report on mister touchy feelie there like she wants, do I? I just think being a wolf would be totally awesome!"

"You need to spend more time with your dad and Billy, and listen to the rest of the stories," Jacob said. "It's not all just fur and running. There's some serious drawbacks too, if the stories were true."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Oh, just little things, like it hurts like hell at first, like somebody's trying to tear off your skin and it takes a long time to learn to control when it happens. Some took years, and some never learned to control the ability. Sometimes the wolf would be more powerful than the man, and they'd just disappear into the forest to live as a wolf, and never come back to the world of men. You know, just little things."

"Oh shit! That would suck! But hey, I'd be willing to risk it. I'd be an awesome fucking werewolf!"

I sat there thinking about the stories that Jacob told, but I didn't want to believe it. It was just too crazy to be true, but then, I'd seen a lot of crazy things this week, and all the pieces fit. I didn't notice when Katy and Michaela came over and joined the group, but the next thing I knew, Katy was sitting next to me. The conversation changed, and then we were discussing surfing, and waves and different techniques. Katy cuddled up next to me, and I put my arm around her, but it was more out of habit than anything else. It would be nice if my life could stay like this, but I had a feeling that this was just the calm before the storm.

**A/N Edited to clean up some grammer, spelling and punctuation.**


	8. Revelations – Part 2 Port Angeles

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

This chapter ended up being 41 pages long, and over 25,000 words, so I broke it in half to make it easier to get through. Here is part 2.

Please review and tell me what you think.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 7 Revelations – Part 2 Port Angeles

_I sat there thinking about the stories that Jacob told, but I didn't want to believe it. It was just too crazy to be true, but then, I'd seen a lot of crazy things this week, and all the pieces fit. I didn't notice when Katy and Michaela came over and joined the group, but the next thing I knew, Katy was sitting next to me. The conversation changed, and then we were discussing surfing, and waves and different techniques. Katy cuddled up next to me, and I put my arm around her, but it was more out of habit than anything else. It would be nice if my life could stay like this, but I had a feeling that this was just the calm before the storm._

Leah and Katy reminisced about the state cross country finals last year. Katy had won, and Leah came in second. Katy was hoping for a repeat of last year, and Leah didn't want to let that happen. They smiled and agreed to disagree. They both wanted the title, and it was going to be a fun season. Cross country was like track in that none of the meets during the year counted toward the title at the end of the season. Your record didn't count for anything, except to rank how you stacked up against the other runners in your class. The whole season came down to one race at the district finals to see who'd go on to the State finals. In theory, you could lose every race all year long, and then come out of nowhere to win the state title, if you did well at districts, and then beat everyone at State. An unlikely circumstance, but possible.

It was getting late, and people were starting go home. I knew Katy wanted me to drive her home, and have Alice catch a ride with somebody else heading back to Forks. I wasn't ready for that yet. I told her goodnight and left to drive home with Alice. I thanked Jacob again and we told everyone goodnight as we walked to the car. Alice and I got into the Volvo and left for Forks. I had a lot on my mind, and I needed to talk to Alice.

"Alice, how much of the accident in the parking lot did you actually see on Wednesday?" I asked once we were in the Volvo, and headed down La Push road towards Forks.

"I heard the skid and the crash. By the time I turned around, Bella was there trying to lift the motorcycle off of you. Then Jasper lifted it up, and my world changed…"

"Your world changed? What do you mean by that?"

"Ok, Edward, if you're finally ready to talk about this, I guess it's about time we get all of this out in the open. You know what happened the first day of school, right? You've had a connection to Bella ever since they showed up at school. You can sense her presence, and feel a major attraction to her."

"Yeah, I've felt that since school started, but what is it Alice? And how do you know what I'm feeling?"

"I just know, Edward. I don't know how it works, I just know things sometimes. I understand about how the connection works, because I've had the same connection to Jasper since that first day too, but I've known for longer…"

"That night, when we first moved to Forks, that's what you were trying to tell me then…"

"Yes, I knew Katy wasn't the one for you. I knew Bella would come to Forks…"

"That's why you never dated. You knew Jasper was coming too, and you waited for him. Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I did, Edward. I warned you, but you wouldn't listen to me… Then I couldn't tell you anymore later, it would have influenced your choice…"

"I don't have a choice anymore, Alice. Wednesday, when Tyler's van went out of control, I was going to die. There was no way I could get out of the way in time. Bella was all the way over at her car when the van was going to hit me. She moved across the parking lot so fast I couldn't see her move, and then she slammed her shoulder into the van and stopped it from hitting me. The van pivoted around her, like it hit a boulder in the road, and was still going to hit me. Alice, she grabbed the frame of the motorcycle, and pulled the Harley out of the way, with me sitting on it! When you got there, she wasn't trying to lift it off me; she was holding it up from pinning me down."

"Oh… What do you mean; you don't have a choice anymore? Bella didn't touch you, did she?"

"No… Come to think of it, I've never touched Bella, not even a handshake, or an accidental brush of our hands while working on our labs together in chemistry. That's kind of strange, isn't it?"

"No, it fits with everything else. She wants you to make your own choice, and doesn't want to influence your decision. I touched Jasper's hand at the accident, and everything changed."

"I still don't understand, Alice. What changed?"

"The connection I feel to Jasper, the attraction, the way I could sense his presence, all of it. One moment it was like what I'd felt since the beginning of school, and then I touched his hand. Suddenly the next moment it was all a thousand times stronger… It was like nothing else in the whole universe mattered except Jasper. He's a part of me now."

"That's what she meant when she said she could reach out her hand I'd be hers…"

"I think I started to feel what Jasper and Bella were already feeling all along… But it didn't just get stronger for me; it got even stronger for Jasper too. It's more than just being stronger, Edward… I don't know how to explain it… I need to be with Jasper, I mean I really NEED to be with him… physically…"

"You mean…"

"Yeah, like that."

"Oh…"

"I used to feel a dull ache in my chest when he was gone, and I couldn't feel his presence nearby, but after we touched, I was in physical pain when he left… It was like somebody tore a huge hole in my chest, and ripped out the part that belonged to Jasper. I need him back, Edward, it's like a piece of me is missing when he isn't here."

"Alice, you heard everything that Jacob told us tonight. I told you what really happened in the parking lot on Wednesday. You know those aren't just old stories to scare people. It's all true… Bella, Jasper, their whole family, they're all va…"

"I don't care, Edward! It doesn't matter… I love him, and I need him back…"

"It doesn't matter!? How can you say that? Bella told me that she was supposed to murder Katy! I guess that's how it's supposed to work. Knock off the rival to move in and take their place, and then this crazy instinct thing makes you alright with it, so you don't even care what happened. That just sucks."

"I think we all understand that, Edward. That's why I waited, and you know Bella doesn't want that. She's been fighting this ever since she got here. She wanted you to make your own choice, and I can tell you're on the fence… You could have gone with Katy tonight, but you didn't…"

"Ok, I'll admit it, I have feelings for Bella. I might even be falling in love with her, but I still have feelings for Katy too. I can't just throw the last year away and pretend like it never happened. If I'd gone with Katy or driven her home, you know what would have happened. I'm not going to use her like that if I can't make a commitment, but I guess that's all a moot point now."

"What do you mean, Edward? What aren't you telling me?"

"Alice, have you considered how this is going to affect the other people in our lives? How it's going to affect dad? You know we can't tell Carlisle any of this. You know that if this thing runs its course, we're going to be like Bella and Jasper. Are we just supposed to up and disappear? We're going to have to keep all of their secrets, and be part of their world."

"I hadn't considered dad in all of this… Why can't we tell him?"

"You know I've been trying to get Bella to tell me her secret since all of this started. She said parts of her life were dangerous, and a lot of things about her were strictly need to know information. I met her mother that adopted her in Rainier on Thursday. She knows everything, Alice. She said that I already know too much about their secrets. The only reason I'm not already dead is because of my connection to Bella. They have laws, Alice, and knowing too much about them is against their laws, unless you're one of them."

"Esme told me that I'd either be with Bella, or she'd die trying to defend me. You can imagine where that leaves me when she fails. Of course, Esme also said she isn't going to let anything happen to Bella. She told me I'm going to be part of their family whether I like it or not, so nothing happens to her little girl."

"So if Carlisle even suspected anything, they'd kill him?"

"Yeah, I think they would. Maybe not Bella and Jasper, but Esme was concerned about what this Esteban was going to do when he comes back from Italy next weekend. I don't have any of the details, Alice, but I don't think this is something we'd be able to hide from Carlisle if we're around him. If I choose Bella, I'll have to leave."

"What about me, Edward?"

"You've already made your choice, Alice. You know what you're going to do. It's just a matter of when now."

"We need more information. So far all we really know for sure is that Jasper and Bella are different. You say that Bella is fast enough to run across the school parking lot in seconds, and strong enough to stop a speeding van and pick up a motorcycle. Jacob told us some old stories, and Bella and Jasper seem to be like the people in the stories…"

"No, not the people, the monsters."

"Yeah, well what else do we know? You said that Bella's mom mentioned somebody named Esteban. Bella told me that name too. She said he was like Jasper's mentor or sensei, and that they'd trained together for years. You don't know what his last name is, do you? Maybe we could look him up or I could ask around at White Crane, and see if anyone has ever heard of him."

"Ok, two things that come to mind. First, Tuesday night, Katy and I went to park by the river. Bella appeared out of nowhere, and was standing outside the car. Katy didn't see her, but I said her name, and Katy went ballistic. After I finally got her calmed down, and got her home, I went back to where we were parked. I found Bella's tracks, and followed them. They led to the carcass of a deer in the forest. At the time, I thought it was strange that there weren't more wounds on the body. Whatever animal that had killed it hadn't started to eat it. Its neck was broken and the only other wound was a bite mark in its throat. It was drained of blood, Alice, and Bella's tracks were all around it."

"What, you think she killed a deer to drink its blood? I don't know how I should feel about that. On the one hand, I'm glad you found a dead deer, and not a hiker or some other person. On the other hand, you've got to admit that's got to be kind of sick, but then we don't have all the facts yet. What was the other thing?

"OK, remember when Jasper came to the drive-in on his motorcycle, and he was wearing that leather jacket with the gang colors on the back?"

"Yeah, I remember, the night Jessica asked us to try out for the cheerleading squad."

"Yeah, well the patch on his shoulder said "Familia Moreno Imperecedero", and the motto on the family crest on the back of the jacket said "Morir Joven" across the top and "Vivir Para Siempre" across the bottom."

"Ok, a little help here? I took French, remember?"

"The shoulder patch means something like Moreno Family Immortal, and the motto on the back says, Die Young and Live Forever."

"Those are just slogans and mottos, Edward. That doesn't mean anything."

"Ok, maybe not, but from what I've heard, this Esteban sounds like the boss, or the head of their family. So maybe we should google Esteban Moreno, and see what we come up with."

We were home now, and I pulled into the garage and parked. I'd unload the surfboards tomorrow. We got out of the car and went into the house.

"C'mon, Edward, let's go up to my room, and try that search. I'm curious to see what we find."

"Alright," and I followed Alice up to her room. We went in, and she locked the door. Then she sat down at her desk, opened her laptop, and turned on the power to boot it up.

Alice typed the name into the search engine, and ran the search. Not too promising, the first time around. We got 812,000 hits, with the most prominent being for an Argentine Tango dancer.

"Ok, what else do we know about him to narrow the search?" Alice asked.

She tried Seattle, and martial arts, and knocked it down to 5700 hits or so. Then I thought of something.

"Here, let me try," and Alice got up out of the way and I sat down. I typed in 'Familia Moreno Imperecedero' with Esteban Moreno. That knocked the hit count down to about 2700, but I saw a Wikipedia link about halfway down the page, and I clicked it.

Now this caught my attention. It was a Wiki page about piracy in the Caribbean in the seventeenth century, but what caught my eye was a series of drawings of different versions of the Jolly Rodger, the traditional pirate flag.

Hollywood had popularized the skull and cross bones as the common pirate flag, but in reality, a plain black flag was more common. Some of the more famous pirates had their own personal version of the Jolly Rodger, Like a calling card to strike fear into their victims. It was easier to rob and loot if the victim surrendered, and most pirates rarely murdered their captives when they flew the black flag. It was bad for business, if you had a reputation as a ruthless murderer; it made the prey more likely to fight for their lives. The black flag marked the pirates as criminals, and announced that they had nothing to lose by attacking. If they flew the red flag, then it meant no quarter, and no prisoners.

In the middle of the page was a black flag with two crossed swords with the points of the swords in the top corners, and a closed fist between the points of the swords at the top. The only thing missing was the row of green shamrocks across the bottom, and it would be the same design that Bella and Jasper both wore as a family crest. There was a caption under the flag that read "_Flag of pirate Esteban Moreno_".

I clicked on the name to follow the link, but it just took me further down on the same page to a brief paragraph about Esteban Moreno. "_Esteban Moreno was an early Buccaneer, involved in the colonization of Hispaniola, but later turned to piracy when the colony failed. He is reported to have operated out of Tortuga circa. 1660 – 1670. Moreno was convicted of piracy on the high seas in 1675 at Port Royal, but disappeared on the eve of his execution. Popular myth claims that his escape was aided by a group of Italian adventurers, but there is no public record of the hanging, and he does not appear again in the historical record._"

Alice was reading over my shoulder, and I turned to look at her. She was still looking at the screen and I could tell she didn't want to believe what she was seeing.

"Ok, Alice, What about this? That flag is almost the same design as the family crest that Bella and Jasper were wearing. Esme told me that Esteban is coming back from Italy, next weekend."

"That's crazy, Edward! If that was the same Esteban Moreno, he'd be over three hundred years old! What about the shamrocks? They're missing from that flag, what do they mean?"

I did another quick search, and looked up shamrock. I the narrowed the search for pages about heraldry, the art of blazoning and interpreting family symbols and crests. Apparently the shamrock was a symbol of perpetuity or long life. In a sense, the shamrock was a symbol of immortality.

"Ok, I know. Don't say it. I just find it a little hard to believe that a three hundred year old Spanish Buccaneer and pirate is living in Seattle in 2006. Doesn't that strike you as a little odd?" Alice asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Alice, I've thought this whole situation was crazy since the first day of school this year. So what do we do now?"

"Well for now, I'm going to bed. It's been a long day, and I'll need a clear head to think this all through."

"Ok, good night, Alice," I got up and moved to the door. "We're going to have to come up with something pretty quick though, Esteban is supposed to be back in Seattle next weekend. Esme said it would be easier for Bella if she had answers to give him about this situation."

"What kind of answers, Edward?"

I laughed at the irony. I had asked Esme the exact same question, and Alice was usually the one with the answers.

"You know, I asked Esme that same question. It's simple really, that I'm ready to cooperate, and I'm not going to cause trouble for them. That I've accepted the connection to Bella and I'm not fighting it."

"Oh… Are you ready to cooperate? Are you ready to make your decision?"

"Alice, how can you ask that? You know what they are!"

"We don't know all the details yet, Edward! We've only heard one side of the story, and that was from someone that considers them to be a mortal enemy. Don't you think we owe it to them to hear their side of the story?"

"Sure, we need the full story, only problem is, if they tell us, they have to kill us. Might make it a little difficult to form an unbiased opinion, don't you think?"

"Ok, so maybe we need more information before we bring up the subject. Tuesday when I go to Port Angeles, come with me to my class. I'm going to ask Master Nicholls about this Esteban, and find out if he's heard of him. He's been into the martial arts scene in Seattle forever, and knows everything that goes on. He'll have to have heard about this Esteban, if he's ever been active in the Seattle area."

"Ok, Alice, get some sleep, and thanks' for helping."

I went out the door, and closed it behind myself. I went across to my room, but I was still too wound up to sleep. I sat down at my desk and got out a notebook. I started jotting down what I knew, and what I thought the questions were, and let my mind wander as I put down the random thoughts that had plagued me. Then I opened my laptop, and started doing a little more research into topics that Alice wasn't ready to deal with yet.

I ran searches for Apotamkin and the Cold Ones, and got about the results I was expecting. There were some links back to Quileute legends, which surprised me, considering the degree of secrecy about the subject in La Push, but obviously there were other people that didn't take the subject as seriously as the tribal council. Most of the links led me to web pages about vampires. That was what I had expected after listening to Jacobs stories.

I read through some of the information, and browsed a bunch of different sites, but it was really difficult to separate the fact from fiction. Oh hell, who was I trying to kid; it was all fiction. What I was really trying to sort out were sites that seemed get the story right, compared to what I'd seen Bella and Jasper do. Of course, they were really good at hiding that they were different, and did a good job of blending in. I realized I didn't have a whole lot of information to work with, and I knew most of the research I was doing was a load of crap.

Hell, if this society that they were a part of was so secretive, they might be posting half this crap as disinformation to throw people off the track. It was easy to hide in plain site if the whole world thought you were a myth.

Like the whole sunlight thing. Obviously they didn't go poof in the light of day and explode into dust, but Bella had told me the sun wasn't kind to her. She liked the wet overcast weather in forks, so how much sunlight was too much? How much of the rest of the lore was crap? Wooden stakes? Garlic? Holy water? Fact or crap? I had no idea, and no clue how to find out, short of asking them.

I knew where I could get answers to all of my questions, but was I ready to pay the price? Alice had said I was on the fence, and although I had argued with her about her blind acceptance of Jasper, this explanation of Bella's abilities didn't turn me off as much as I let Alice think. Yeah, it was a down side. The vampires were always cast as the bad guys, but what did I really know? Bella and Jasper didn't strike me as your typical eternally damned, so maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. Obviously a lot of this other information was just plain wrong, maybe there was a positive side to this, but I wasn't going to find it on the internet.

I finally gave up and went to bed and tossed and turned until I finally fell into a fitful sleep. I dreamed strange disturbing dreams. Of course, I dreamed about Bella.

I saw her face but we were in the forest standing in the trees. It was twilight and she moved towards me smiling, but her eyes were different. They were glowing red and filled with a hunger that seemed alien to me. They made the pale white skin of her face and hands seem somehow sinister, and her flowing mahogany hair whipped in the breeze as she came to me in a blur of motion. She reached out to me, but I shied away from her touch, and then I heard the growls as the wolves moved out of the trees. She spun and shielded my body with her own, but she was no match for the wolves, and she pushed me out of harms way as she went down in a flurry of fur and teeth.

"NO!" I screamed as I started awake, and sat up in bed. I was disoriented, and it took me a moment to realize it was just a nightmare. I looked at the clock and then lay back down. I waited for morning, but I wasn't able to go back to sleep.

Sunday we just took a lazy day at home. I got caught up on some chores, and we spent time together as a family. Sunday was Carlisle's day off, and the clinic was closed. I called Katy and begged off from our long run. Normally we went for a fifteen mile run on Sunday's, but I hadn't been sleeping well lately, and we'd had a full day yesterday. She reluctantly said ok, and I told her I'd see her in school on Monday.

We ended up playing some board games to pass the time and ordered pizza for dinner. Alice won at Monopoly as usual, and I conquered the world in Risk. Carlisle won at life, and ended up as a married doctor with six kids, go figure.

Monday we got back into our routine, but it seemed like I was just passing time waiting in anticipation for Tuesday night. I had information about Bella and Jasper, and I had an idea what they were, but like Alice had said, I had only heard one side of the story, and it didn't paint the kindest picture of them or their family. I was eager to get any new information at all, and asking Alice's martial arts teacher seemed as good a place to start as any.

We got to school Tuesday morning, and Bella and Jasper were still gone. The day dragged as I waited for it to end. I hurried through practice, and beat the rest of the team back to the school. I think I beat my best meet pace of the year, and I was actually out of breath when I got back to the school. I rushed to the locker room to shower and change and Alice was waiting for me in the Volvo when I came out to the parking lot. We left for Port Angeles from the school, and didn't bother to go home first. Alice already had her gear packed in the trunk.

Alice had given me as much of Bella's history as she felt comfortable about sharing, without betraying the trust they shared. To say that it was a bare bones account was an understatement, but at least now I knew Esme and Rose ran a nightclub in Seattle. Apparently Alice had even been to it, but she was too drunk at the time to even remember the name of the place. It was something to research though, and I used it as a starting place to find out more.

Best as I could tell from the information, Seattle had a secret criminal underworld that did an excellent job of staying out of the media spotlight, and avoiding the attention of the local law enforcement organizations. There were hints and tantalizing bits of information that started to make sense in the right context. Bella and Jasper had mentioned the Fu's and the McCormick's. Near as I could figure, they were rival families. I wasn't sure how many families there were, but you could add the Moreno's to the list.

So far, it looked like Esme ran an exclusive Club in downtown Seattle called the Flying Dutchman Lounge, and I couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like Esteban owned the building, and probably the rest of the buildings on the block it was located on. The Fu's seemed to operate out of a Club in Chinatown in the International district called the Mandarin Garden Tea Room. I wasn't sure about the McCormick's, but it looked like Hooligan's Still was a local hangout for them. I was keeping notes on my research as I uncovered the picture, and I was keeping everything documented in my notebook at home. It helped me to organize the data, and having one place to go to and review what I already knew helped me to keep the story straight.

I made the trip to Port Angeles in record time, and we were early to Alice's class, but it didn't matter. She had full access to the studio, and was welcome to come in anytime to work out, practice, or spar with the other students and teachers. She got her bag out of the trunk, and we went into the building. Alice stopped inside the door, and took off her shoes. She set them in an open space on the rack next to the door, and I followed her lead. Alice told me to wait up front by the equipment shop, there was a waiting area with couches and a television where parents could wait for their kids, and she went back to the locker room to change.

She was back in a couple of minutes, dressed in her martial arts uniform, and motioned for me to come join her. I walked over and met her at the top of the stairs. We went down the stairs, and came out in another practice room with a smooth clean wooden floor like a dance studio. There was a good sized gym setup in the back with weight machines, exercise equipment and a series of hanging heavy bags for punching and kicking practice.

It was between classes right now, and there was an older man out on the exercise floor practicing some techniques. He had close cropped white hair and his skin was tanned and creased like old leather from spending a lot of time outdoors in the weather, but he didn't look old. He was tall and lean, and I could see the muscles and tendons stand out in his arms and neck where they were exposed under his loose cotton karate gi. He was whipcord thin, moving with a sinuous grace, and looked like he'd be fast and dangerous in a fight. We walked over to him, and he stopped what he was doing to greet Alice.

Alice bowed to him, and said, "Master Nicholls, good evening Sensei, I'm sure you remember my brother, Edward?"

Master Nicholls bowed to Alice. "Good evening, Alice. You're early tonight." Then he turned to me. "So, Edward, are you ready to sign up for some classes? There's a beginners program tonight if you're interested."

"No, thank you. Alice and I have some new friends at school, and she was wondering if you could help us with something."

"Of course, what can I help you with Alice?" He asked, turning back to her.

"Well, you remember Bella, the girl that came with me to class last Thursday?"

"Yes, she had a remarkable skill, I wanted to ask her who she'd trained with, but I never got a chance to talk to her."

"That's kind of what we're interested in too. She's been training mostly with another new boy at school. His name's Jasper Whitlock, but she told me his teacher was Esteban Moreno from Seattle, have you ever heard of him?"

Master Nicholls eyes got wide, and I can't really say he blanched white, but he looked a little pale as the blood drained out of his weathered tan face. He glanced around the room to see who might be listening, and then took Alice by the elbow, and led us to a more secluded part of the gym where we could talk.

"Where did you hear that name, Alice, you say this Bella mentioned him? What did she tell you?"

"I was talking to her one day after school while we were working out at home. We were going out into the yard to spar with bokken, and she said that she usually sparred with kagum or live steel when she practiced with Jasper. I asked her if Jasper ever went to any tournaments or competed, because I'd never seen him at any of the tournaments that we go to. She said that she'd never seen him go to a tournament, but she'd heard him talking to Esteban about a tournament that they'd gone to in Paris before."

"I've never heard of this Jasper Whitlock, but there was a Jasper Hale on Esteban's team at the Paris Tournament in '96. What does this Jasper of yours look like?"

"Jasper? He's about 6'3", honey blond hair, lean and muscular with a scar on his left cheek. He's seventeen, but he could pass for twenty."

Master Nicholls eyes got wide, and I saw a shiver run through him, but he didn't look like a man who was easily scared.

"This scar, was it a thin scar running from the corner of his eye, across his left cheek and along his jaw line?" and he moved his finger on his face to trace the path.

"Yes…"

"That's the man who called himself Jasper Hale at the '96 Paris Tournament. He had an amazing skill with the sword, and put on a cutting demonstration. Esteban had a team at the tournament, that he claimed was from Seattle, but I'd never seen any of them before, and they'd never trained at any dojo I'd heard of."

"This Esteban, he's dangerous, Alice. You should stay away from anyone that knows him. There were several unexplained murders at that '96 Paris competition, and I know it sounds crazy, but there were rumors about Esteban's team drinking human blood to prepare for the tournament. The French Police were at the tournament questioning a lot of people, but I don't think they ever made any arrests."

"I haven't talked about this since that tournament, but I witnessed people being killed with swords there. I was coming in late after we'd been out celebrating one night, and I saw some people out in the alley behind the hotel. I thought they were fooling around, and I was going to go over and tell them to knock it off and go to bed. It was too dark, and somebody could get hurt. I almost realized it was a real fight too late, but I stopped before they saw me. I won't give you all the gory details, but I saw what a sword can do in a real fight that night."

"I got away and went into the hotel, but I saw them in the alley before I went in. They stepped into the light and it was Esteban and Jasper. I don't know who started it, or what it was about, but they finished it."

"I didn't think anyone had seen me, but the next day when the police were there, Esteban came to me and said, 'you didn't see anything in that alley, it was too dark, and you just went to your room, Right?' That's the story I gave to the Police, and then we left the next day."

"You're a good girl, Alice. You've got great talent, but stay safe, ok? Don't get mixed up with Esteban and his crew, or it could go bad for you."

"Thank you Sensei, I'll do what I can to stay out of trouble. Thank you for sharing that with us."

"Just don't repeat that story, ok. I haven't heard anything about Esteban for years now, and I think he left town, but I don't want him to come knocking on my door."

"It's our secret, Sensei. Now, I need to go prepare for class."

They bowed again, and we left Master Nicholls to walk back over to the stairs.

"You can stay down here to watch, if you like, Edward. I need to go get my gear out of the locker room. Be back in a minute, Ok?"

"Sure, Alice, I'll wait over by the gym, ok?" She nodded, and went up the stairs to the locker room.

I moved over to check out the gym equipment, and there were a couple of people working out. Alice was coming back down stairs, when a girl finished her set on one of the universal machines, and waved me over to catch my attention. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and then called me over. I caught Alice's eye, and nodded that she should join us.

"Hey, I heard you guy's asking Nicholls about the Moreno's. Man, you need to be more careful. Nicholls might be a good teacher, but he don't know jack about what goes on in the streets. He doesn't live in the real world."

"And you do, Juanita? Ok, spill. What do you know about the Moreno's?"

"Yeah, Pixie, I run the streets. That's why I'm here; to get the skills I need to be somebody. Not like those two-bit gang bangers that think they're the shit. I'm a real fighter. So you want the low down on the Moreno's? My advice, stay away. They used to be the top dogs, but word on the street is they're going down."

"What do you mean they were top dogs? What were they into" I asked.

"Man, for as long as anyone can remember, the Moreno's ran the show in Seattle. That Esteban, he was connected, and nothing happened in the City without his say so."

"What do you mean, 'ran the show', connected how?" Alice asked.

"Don't play little miss innocent with me, Pixie. I know you guys deal. Do I need to draw you a picture? You saw the Godfather, and Good Fellows, right? The Moreno's are one of the local organized crime families, but they're good at covering their tracks, and they don't get their own hands dirty too much. Mostly they provided muscle and soldiers as enforcers for other families. At least they did until about five years ago."

"So what happened? Why are they gonna go down?" I asked.

She shrugged, "Nobody knows the whole story. Word is there was this throw down at that swanky club the Moreno's hang out at down town. They say one of the Fu's soldiers fucked up one of the Moreno's bitches. Everyone was expecting war, but nothing happened. Then the next thing you know, Esteban disappears. At first, everyone thought it was a hit, and the Fu's whacked him, but the Moreno's didn't hit back."

"So this happened five years ago, and everyone's just waiting to see what happens?"

"The Major stepped in, and started calling the shots for the Moreno's, but they started taking less contracts, and backing out of the game, toning down their control. People started thinking they were getting weak, since Esteban was gone."

"Yeah, I can see that. Who's the Major?"

"You guy's were talking about him. You know, tall, blond, scar face, the absolute shit with a gun or a sword, fucking death on two legs. He was Esteban's chief enforcer. He's been running the show since Esteban disappeared."

"Oh…" Alice breathed, speechless.

"Yeah, well the McCormick's tried to hit'em, and learned the hard way that you don't fuck with the Major. You don't mess with the Moreno's and keep breath'n, if you catch my drift."

"Problem is, the families gotta learn the hard way. Word on the street is, the Moreno's are weak, and there's a major turf war brewing. The McCormick's already made a move, and got slapped down hard, but the Fu's are putting the pressure on, and if they can give'em grief and get away with it, there'll be blood in the water."

"So you're saying there's a major gang war waiting to happen, and all these other families have it out for the Moreno's?"

"Yeah, that's about the size of it, but it's not like they're all ganging up on them together, they each want to be top dog, and they'll fight each other too, to get their share of the turf. It's like the balance of power got knocked around when Esteban disappeared, and it needs to settle out and find center again."

"Thanks' for the heads up."

"Yeah, well the Pixie is kinda cool, so I didn't want you guys to step in shit."

I nodded, and then Alice and Juanita left to go start their class and I hung out and watched the practice. Maybe I did need to start learning this stuff, if I was going to get involved with Bella's family. Esme had been pretty sure that I would end up with Bella. Maybe Bella was a fate worse than death. Death was starting to look better and better all the time.

Alice's class was pretty cool. She was training at a very advanced level, and Master Nicholls ran the class for a small group of advanced students, while some of the other teachers ran classes for the other students. They were doing sword drills tonight to warm up, and them they put on their protective equipment and broke up into groups to spar. Gumdo training was different from other sword disciplines, because it focused on real battlefield techniques, instead of just training forms and kata. Kendo focused solely on one on one matches, but advanced Gumdo training taught you techniques to fight multiple opponents, and in groups.

I could only imagine what this would be like with real swords, especially with the speed and strength that Bella had let me see in the parking lot at school last week. If Esteban was really over three hundred years old, he had to have an incredible amount of experience.

That thought made me wonder about Jasper. How old was he? I had assumed he was a teenager, because he was going to high school, but he could easily pass for older, maybe early twenties? Nicholls had claimed to have seen him in Paris in 1996, and if he was in his twenties then, he'd be over thirty by now. I shivered as I thought about it. The evidence pointed at Esteban being over three hundred years old, and now Jasper was apparently older than he looked. How old was Bella? Probably not seventeen like she looked, but I really had no clue.

Alice finished her class, and went to the locker room to shower and change. She came out and we left the studio. I loaded Alice's bag into the trunk, and asked her if she was hungry. We usually stopped to get something to eat before heading back to Forks. Everything would be closed by the time we got back to town.

We went down the street to the little Italian place where I'd taken Katy, and had a quiet dinner. I thought about bringing up the subject of our latest discovery, but decided to wait. We finished dinner and went back out to the Volvo to head for home. I waited until we were on the road to talk to Alice.

"Alice, you don't think Bella is three hundred years old too, do you?"

"Hell, Edward, I don't even believe this Esteban is that old, but if we go strictly off the evidence and what we know or have been told, then no. She's nowhere close to that old."

"How do you know?"

"From what she told me about how she grew up. For starters, she said she flew on a plane from Phoenix to Seattle, so that dates her to age thirteen sometime past at least the mid 1950's. Then she mentioned handheld video cameras, when she was fifteen, so that puts her sometime in the late '70's or better. Given what she told me, she couldn't be older than say about 46, but I'm guessing a lot younger."

"Why do you say that?"

"From what Juanita told us tonight, she said there was a fight at the Moreno's club about five years ago. One of their girls got hurt. Bella was working at that club, and she said what happened to her was an accident. I bet that's when it happened, however she ended up like the rest of her family. That would make her about twenty-two."

"Ok, I'll buy that. What about Jasper, how old do you think he is? And what about this Major crap, where do you think that came from?"

"Well, I haven't heard as many stories about his life as Bella's, but he probably picked up the title Major from serving in the military. You said he considers himself to be a soldier. The only historical reference I have is Bella telling me his favorite period in History is the Civil War, but that ended in 1865."

"No, there's another historical reference, but you're right, it points to the same period."

"What reference? Did he tell you something?"

"No, but you've seen his motorcycle, right? On the side cover there's a confederate flag, and a single gold star. The Confederate army had different rank insignia that the Union. I looked it up. A single gold star was the rank insignia for a Confederate Major during the Civil War."

"Edward, if he was a Major in the Confederate army during the Civil War, he'd be about a hundred and sixty years old! That's just crazy! You don't really believe that do you?"

"Hell, I don't know what to believe anymore, Alice. The one thing I do know is we can't let Bella, Jasper, or any of the rest of their family know how much we've learned about them if we run into them, or when they come back. We don't know how they'd react, and we're breaking their laws by figuring out their secrets. We need to find a way to get more information before we tell them what we know."

"I don't think I'd be able to resist telling Jasper if he came back right now. I don't see how he managed to resist as long as he did, if this is what it was like for him. It would probably be close to impossible for him to resist now."

"Okay. That's probably why he left then. I doubt he's trying to hurt you, Alice. He's probably trying to protect you."

"I know what Jasper's doing and why. That doesn't mean I have to like it. I just want to get through this part and move on. So what do you really think about all of this?"

"Which part, Alice? The part where I'm supposed to join the undead and become part of the eternally dammed? Or the part where I'm being recruited for an organized crime family that's about to go to war with all of their underworld rivals?"

"I suppose that might be a bit of a dilemma. I'm just wondering if you're any closer to deciding which girl you want. Jasper isn't going to make a move until things are settled between you and Bella, one way or the other. I'd really appreciate it if you make up your mind."

"Why would Jasper be waiting for me to make a decision between Katy and Bella before he can go out with you, Alice?"

"God, Edward, you can't be that dense can you? Do you honestly mean to tell me you haven't figured it out yet by now? Especially after everything we heard tonight?"

"What? I don't understand."

"Jasper doesn't care about Katy. He's Bella's guardian. He's been assigned to train her and protect her. Esteban must consider her to be pretty important to assign his best fighter and second in command to personally make sure nothing happens to her. But they came to Forks, and you happened to her. I don't think all of these relationship issues were part of the plan, but now they're causing complications."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, oh. Now you're part of the package. If they lose you, they lose her too, and they've invested a lot of resources to keep her safe and get her trained."

"I'm sorry Alice. This is just a lot to process. I need to think about this and figure out what I'm going to do."

"Alright, but don't take forever, ok? You know, if you would have listened to me in the first place, you wouldn't be having this problem now."

I just nodded, and we were quiet for the rest of the drive home as I considered this new information. Esme had told me their family had a lot of enemies. I guess I hadn't really considered who those enemies might be. Jacob had said that his grandfather had learned that there were factions in Bella and Jasper's world that fought each other. To be honest, I found it all kind of intriguing. It would make for an interesting study to figure out the dynamics of the power structure on this underworld that most people never even dreamed existed.

We got home around ten thirty, but I wasn't really tired, despite my recent lack of sleep. I told Alice good night, and went up to my room. I finished up my homework, and then got out my notebook and started to make notes about what we'd learned tonight. I went online and did some more research on some of the stuff we'd figured out, and the picture was starting to become clearer about just what was going on. I made sure to put the notebook away in my desk. A lot of people would probably dismiss it as some kind of crazy fantasy mumbo jumbo, but not everyone, and I didn't want anyone finding it.

I finally went to bed, and figured I'd have another restless night, but for some reason, tonight was different, and I drifted off into a peaceful dreamless sleep, and got the most rest I'd had in a week. I got up at four when the alarm went off, and I was surprised at how well I'd slept. That was when I noticed the scent of strawberries and freesia in the room, and a smile spread across my face.

I got dressed to go run, and Alice was waiting in the kitchen when I came downstairs. We left to go to Katy's house, but I didn't say anything to Alice yet, I had to be sure. We drove to Katy's, and got out of the car. Michaela was there stretching, and we said hi. As soon as we started to walk up the driveway, I knew.

I leaned in to Alice, and whispered in her ear, "She's back."

Alice turned to look at me with hope in her eyes. "Are you sure?"

I just nodded, and indicated the forest behind the garage with a nod of my head. Alice smiled for the first time in days, and the run seemed more fun this morning for some reason. We went home and changed for school, and Alice was so excited to get out the door, she was practically bouncing when we went out the door. I think she was a little disappointed that Bella didn't show up to drive her to school, and then she was even more depressed when we got there and the silver and grey Ducati and the red Dodge Charger weren't in the parking lot.

We went to our lockers and got our things for class, and met in AP English to start the day. It was almost time for the final bell, when I felt Bella in the hallway, and then the door opened and she walked into the room but she was alone. She walked over to Mrs. Jensen, and gave her a paper to sign. Then she came over to our table, and sat down next to Alice.

Alice looked over at her, and her mixed emotions were plane on her face. She was ecstatically happy that Bella was back, but dejected that Jasper wasn't with her.

"He isn't coming back to school, is he?"

Bella shook her head no.

"But he's not too far away, I can tell."

"It would be too hard for him to try and come back to school, Alice, but I couldn't stay away any longer," and then Bella looked up at me. "I'm sorry, I tried, but I wasn't strong enough."

I smiled at her and nodded. I had missed her when she was gone, and I was happy that she was back.

"It's ok, I understand."

Her eyes got big and she stared in surprise for a second, and then quickly turned away, but I could see her smile.

And there was the rub, I was happy she was back, but I still hadn't made up my mind. I was still torn and being pulled in two different directions. I knew that I had honest feelings for Bella now, beyond the crazy magic that seemed to attract me to her, but I still had feelings for Katy, and I had a history with her that I couldn't just throw away.

It amazed me how easily we all fell back into the pattern we had developed over the first couple of weeks of school. The only distinction was that now I noticed how Bella was different from the other kids in school. Not obvious things, but little things that stood out in the context of what I knew about her. The dark circles under her eyes that made her look like she needed a good nights sleep. The way she seemed to stand unnaturally still without moving when she didn't think anyone was looking. The way she would flinch away and look uncomfortable when somebody would stand too close, as though she was in pain. Little things I had ignored before, but that stood out now, given what I knew.

Alice was glad she was back, and I was glad she was back, but I could tell Katy was less than ecstatic that she was back, when she walked into trig. Instead of going to the back of the room like she had with Jasper, Bella came and sat with Mike and Jessica and me at our table in the front of the room. It was game on now, and I could see the black look Katy glared at Bella as she came to the table and joined us.

Lunch was interesting. Normally I would have taken Katy out to lunch, to avoid sitting with both of them during lunch, but that wasn't really an option today unless I wanted to give Katy false hope. I still had unanswered questions, and I wasn't ready to commit to either girl yet. I walked to lunch with Bella and Angela after Spanish, and ended up sitting between Alice and Angela. Bella sat next to Alice, and Katy ended up sitting across the table with Michaela and Brittany. I could tell she was totally pissed off, as she sat there fuming. Well, she'd started this, and I'd take my own sweet time making up my mind.

Of course that might not matter anyhow. I suppose if I wanted too, I could always run to La Push. If the treaty was real, and Bella's family honored it, I'd be safe there. But honestly, how long could I hide on the reservation? Not to mention I'd be putting my friends there at risk too. Besides the fact that I even knew about the treaty was a violation, and could end up voiding the contract. No, I was going to have to face my demons. Just why did they have to be so damn cute?

Bella told a story about how Jasper's long lost uncle had been contacted by the Human Services agency, and Jasper had gone to go live with him. I knew it was a complete load of horse shit, but Jessica and the other kids bought it. So that was pretty much that. Jasper wasn't planning on coming back to school in Forks, and had a cover story to explain it.

Katy glared at us as we left the cafeteria to go to AP Chemistry, but I just waved and walked out with Alice, Jessica, Mike and Bella. Maybe I was playing with fire, but I had a theory I wanted to test. It seemed appropriate because we were doing a lab today. I tried not to be obvious, but I kept putting my hands in the way where Bella would touch me unless she consciously went out of her way to avoid me. Well, the lab ended and my world didn't change. She was avoiding my touch, so maybe there was something to it. I silently laughed at the exasperated look on her face, but I'd been pushing her buttons, so she had a right to be mad.

She stalked out of the room after class and left for gym, and I heard Alice sigh and look at me with disapproval. She waited until Jessica was out of earshot, and then let me have it.

"That wasn't very nice, Edward! You don't know how hard it is for her to be that close to you, and then have you toying with her like that! That was just mean! She's doing this for you, so you have a choice! Don't do that again unless you mean it!"

"But I don't have a choice anymore, Alice. Wouldn't it just be easier to give in and let the magic have me? All I have to do is touch her and it would be all over, right? Neither of us would be able to resist anymore, and I'd forget about Katy, wouldn't I?"

"Bella doesn't know Esme talked to you, and she wants you to decide. Besides, this whole instinct thing doesn't work like that, Edward. Yeah, neither of you would be able to resist. You'd be hers, and she'd be yours, but you wouldn't forget about Katy. Your feelings don't just go away. That's why she wants you to choose her, so she knows you want her for who she is."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, oh, and now you can't even apologize without coming out about what you know. You're a smart guy, Edward. Think next time, ok?"

I thought about that through US History class, but at least the day was over, and I went out to go to cross country practice. I watched the girls flock around Bella and welcome her back, as the cheerleaders jogged out toward the football field. I turned to jog out to the parking lot to stretch for cross country practice, and Katy was standing by the corner of the building, watching me watch the cheerleaders. She glared at me, and then turned away to go to practice. Some things just never changed, and I just couldn't catch a break today.

Bella drove Alice home after practice, and she stayed at our house to work on her homework and hang out. I went home and changed out of my running clothes, and left on the Harley to go for a ride. I needed to clear my head and think. I cruised for a while, and finally ended up at the drive-in. Alice and Bella were there, talking to Jessica and Angela and catching up on the last week's gossip. Katy was there with Michaela and Brittany and their friends on the football team. I was stuck in the middle, and no matter which way I went, I was sure to piss somebody off.

I sat at a table in the middle between the groups, and ordered dinner. I'd just hang out here, and one of them could make the next move. Tyler came over to say hi, he was feeling better, and he was still apologizing to me for the accident that he didn't even remember. Mike showed up, and Ben came over to talk, and I just hung out with the guys, while Bella and Katy glared at each other.

It was getting close to closing time, when Katy finally made the first move, but I'd been anticipating that. Katy and I had a history, and technically, she was still my girlfriend even if we were taking some time apart to think things through. Bella still didn't want to move in and come between us, so she'd wait for me to come to her.

"Hey, Edward," Katy said as she came over to the table. "Have you got a minute?"

"Sure, Katy, what's on your mind?" I asked, and the guys cleared out to give us some space.

She looked around the drive-in. Although nobody was openly staring or obviously listening, the anticipation was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"I want you to give me a ride home tonight, if that's ok? We need to talk, and I don't want to talk here."

"Just talk, Katy?"

"If that's all you want, then ok, that's up to you."

"Ok, let's go talk."

I got up from the table and walked over to the Harley, and got Alice's helmet out of the saddlebag, and handed it to Katy. I looked over as she was putting it on, and I could see Bella glaring at us. Her eyes were pitch black again but she looked away and pretended to ignore us as she reached for her purse. I got on the Harley and kicked it to life, and Katy climbed on behind me and wrapped her arms around me to hold on. I saw her look over at Bella and smile, and then I pulled away from the curb. I got us out of there, before she pissed Bella off and caused her to do something we'd all regret.

I headed north up the street, and then turned left into Katy's neighborhood, and cruised back toward her house. I pulled the Harley up into the driveway, killed the engine, and Katy got off. I took off my helmet, and set it on the gas tank, and Katy handed me Alice's helmet, and I put it back in the saddlebag.

There was a bench swing with an awning by the kitchen door, under the carport where it would be protected from the weather. Katy took my hand and pulled me over to the seat so we could sit down and talk.

"So tell me what's going on Edward. Am I still your girlfriend? I was hoping Bella was gone for good, but now she's back, and everything's weird again. It's like you can't take your eyes off of her, and she draws you like a magnet whenever she's around."

"Katy, you know I love you."

"Yes…"

"But I need more time to figure this out…"

"What is there to figure out, Edward? It seems simple enough to me. Do you want to be with me or Bella?"

"It's not that simple… There are some strange things going on that I don't completely understand. I need to know more and figure these things out first, Katy."

"What kinds of things?"

"It's like what you said, that magnetic attraction to Bella. I need to know what's causing it. If we went back to the way things were, and I don't find out what's causing it first, everything would still be the same as it has been. I'd still be attracted to Bella, and you'd be mad at me because of it."

"You feel attracted to Bella? Are you in love with her?"

"I won't lie to you Katy. I'll admit I have feelings for her, but I haven't cheated on you, and Bella and I are just friends."

"You said we were friends too…"

"I need to find out what's causing this attraction…"

"Well I think that's pretty obvious, Edward! You haven't been able to peel your eyes away from her since school started!"

"It's not like that, Katy, and you know it. There's something strange going on, and I need time to get to the bottom of this."

"How much time?"

"I don't know… You told me if I was going to be with you, it had to be only you, and I can respect that. You don't want me thinking about Bella when we're together, and I know you're right. Until I know what's causing this attraction, I can't make that commitment. I'd be lying to you if I said I could right now. I don't want to do that to you."

"How are you going to figure this out? What do you have to do?"

"I can't tell you, Katy. It could be dangerous, and I don't want to involve you in this. I don't want you to get hurt, ok?"

"Edward, you're scaring me. What's going on that's dangerous? This doesn't have anything to do with Jacob and Sam Uley's crew, does it? I know about the pot, but are you getting in deeper?"

"No, it's nothing to do with Jacob or Sam, but I really can't tell you, ok? You have to trust me."

"Ok, I'll give you time… I want you back, Edward. I want things back the way they were before Bella came to Forks, but I'm not going to wait forever. If you can't fix this, then I'll fight to keep you, and nobody's gonna stand in my way! You can tell Bella that for me. You're mine, Edward!"

I got up to leave, and Katy got up too. She stepped in front of me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She tilted her head up, and looked into my eyes.

"I love you, Edward, and I'll give you time if that's what you need. I want us to be together. I want us back."

I leaned down, and my lips met hers and I kissed her. It was soft and sweet, and reminded me of so much we had shared together. Could I give all of that up? Was I ready to just put it behind me and walk away? Shouldn't I be fighting to stay with Katy? She owned my heart, but was it enough?

I broke the kiss and stepped away. "I have to go, Katy. I'll see you in the morning, ok?"

"Ok, Edward, good night. Are we still on for our morning run?"

"Sure, Katy, I want to be ready for the meet in Onalaska tomorrow. 'Bye," and I turned and walked to the Harley.

I got on the Harley, and left for home. Why did life have to be so complicated? I knew I couldn't tell Katy what was really going on. They'd kill her to shut her up. Was I getting in deeper? Hell yes, and in way over my head, but if all else fails, take the plunge and hope for the best. Did I know what I was gonna do? Hell no, but Esteban would be back on Saturday, and I had a feeling somebody else would be making my decisions for me.

I turned onto Riviera Drive, and pulled into our driveway, and of course, Bella's red Dodge Charger was parked in the driveway. Well Alice didn't waste any time.

I parked the Harley in the garage, and went into the house through the kitchen door. The downstairs lights were off, and I went up the stairs. I could see light under Carlisle's door, and knew he was probably still up, browsing the internet. I went down the hall, and Alice's door was open.

I stepped into the doorway, and the girls were sitting in Alice's chairs by the window talking. Alice was wearing her pale lavender pajama pants and tank, and Bella was in the blue harem pants and cami. They looked up to see what I wanted.

"Can Bella and I talk for a minute?" I asked

Alice looked at Bella, and she nodded ok. Alice got up and walked over to the door.

"Let me give you a little privacy, I'll be downstairs," and she went out the door, and closed it behind her.

I walked over to the chair where Alice had been sitting, and sat down.

"I see that you've calmed down since I left the drive-in. Are you going to tell me what's going on now Bella?"

"What do you mean, you can see that I've calmed down?" Bella asked.

"Your eyes are golden again. They change color and get darker when you're upset. They were pitch black when Katy asked me to give her a ride home tonight." Bella hastily looked away and averted her eyes, as though that would stop me from noticing.

"Bella, please tell me what's going on. Why was Emmett so angry with me that night at the football game? What am I supposed to know that you haven't told me? Why do you follow me around town and spy on me? Why can I sense your presence, and feel you when you're nearby?"

"You forgot to mention the attraction, and the desire that you feel when we're close together," Bella added.

"Ok, I'll admit that I've felt an attraction to you since that first day of school when I first saw you. Will you tell me why?"

"I can't explain everything, I'm not allowed to, and it would be dangerous for you if I did. Why don't you tell me what you think is happening, and I'll tell you if you're right, if I can, ok?"

"That's a little thin and evasive, Bella."

"I'm sorry Edward that's the best I can do, unless I ask you to make commitments that you're not ready to accept."

"Ok, so there's a connection between us, and it started that first day of school, when you looked into my eyes."

"The connection was already there, Edward. You felt it when I got out of the car. It just got stronger and more permanent when we looked into each others eyes for the first time."

"Ok, so this connection, it's what allows me to sense your presence. Does it cause the attraction and the flare of desire when I'm near you?"

Bella closed her eyes, and bowed her head as a dry sob racked through her, and I could see pain flash across her features, and she sucked in a breath as though she was wincing at the pain. She was quiet for a minute, and then she continued softly.

"No, the connection doesn't cause it. It simply intensifies what you're already feeling. The emotions are your own. The bond simply makes you more aware of them."

"Bella, are you ok? You look like you're in pain!" I reached for her to try and comfort her.

"NO, Don't Touch Me!" Bella yelled, and flinched away from me. She stared at my hand like it was a venomous snake threatening her.

"Ok," I said, pulling my hand back and letting it rest in my lap. "Is that what Emmett meant that night at the football game, about the pain? Do I cause it? Is that what Alice is going through now with Jasper?"

"You're supposed to tell me what you think is happening, and I'll tell you if you're right, remember?"

"You told Jasper and Emmett, that you weren't going to come between Katy and me because she's my girlfriend, but Emmett told you that you knew what you had to do. He was talking about you killing her, wasn't he? You're supposed to claim me and make me yours, aren't you? Isn't that how it's supposed to work?"

"No… I don't want this… Not like that…" She spoke softly as she huddled into her chair, and her voice cracked as she sobbed.

"Please, Bella, you have to tell me."

"You're in love with Katy, Edward. I don't want to end that. I don't want to be the other woman, although it seems I'm destined to be cast in that role. You deserve your free will. She's the girl that owns your heart."

"And you're the girl that owns my soul?"

"No, not yet, not if you don't want it, that's what Emmett meant. That's what I'm supposed to do. That's what I need to do to end the pain. I could claim your soul Edward, and make you mine, but I won't do it against your will."

I was stunned silent as I stared at Bella, and she raised her head and looked into my eyes.

"All of my life, Edward, all of my choices were taken away from me. Everything was done to me or happened to me. Every time I found some small piece of happiness, something happened to take it away from me. The time that I've spent with Esme and Rose and my new family in Seattle was the first glimmer of freedom in my life, and even that was born out of tragedy."

"I'm not going to take your choices away from you, Edward. You love Katy, and if that's your choice, then I'll accept it, but you have to understand, we share a connection and it's permanent. It can't be broken, it's for life. I'll never be far away, we're joined at the soul, and I'll never let anything happen to you."

"Esme said I don't have a choice anymore."

"You talked to Esme?"

"She came to the cross country meet in Rainier on Thursday. She said that when Esteban comes back from Italy on Saturday, Jasper will have to tell him how much I know."

"But that would mean…"

"It would be a lot easier for me to make a choice if I knew everything, Bella. It isn't going to matter anymore after Saturday. Esme said it would be easier with Esteban if you had answers for him when he talks to you."

"I… I wasn't expecting this… Esme talked to you? I need to think about this, Edward."

"Ok, but don't take too long, we're running out of time."

I got up and went to the door. I was reaching for the knob when it opened and Alice walked in.

"I thought you were downstairs? Were you listening?"

"No, I was downstairs, it was just time to come back," and she tapped her temple with her index finger. "Now get out of here and go to bed. Bella and I need to talk, ok?"

"Good night Alice." I turned to Bella, and she was still sitting in the chair staring at me. "Good night, Bella, and think about what I told you, ok?"

She nodded ok, and I went out the door and closed it behind me. I went to my room and went to bed. We were running out of time, but I slept peacefully that night, and I knew it was because Bella was close by. Maybe my choice wasn't so hard after all.


	9. Girls Night Out

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **APOV (Alice), Alice's turn, but Edward will continue the story in the next chapter. Bella may have a say later on as well.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Sorry this is a little late. My son graduated from high school this year, and we had family come out and visit. It's been a crazy couple of weeks between wrapping up the school year and getting ready for the graduation.

Anyhow, don't get too mad. I had to write this chapter to make everything else fit later. Please read and review, and tell me what you think.

– – – – – – – – – – –

APOV (Alice)

Chapter 8 Girls Night Out

Edward and Bella were being difficult, and this just would not do. Somebody had to crap or get off the pot! Both of them were waiting for the other to make the first move, and it was driving me crazy! It was time to fish or cut bait, but both of them were dragging their feet and just wouldn't say those three simple words!

Edward was waiting for her to be honest with him and come out and tell him everything on her own, and she was waiting to know that he really wanted her for who she was and not because of some kind of crazy magic between them. They both had a point, but why did two so incredibly stubborn people have to end up together? It was making my life more difficult, and they didn't have all the time in the world to settle this.

Besides, just when were they expecting to find time to hash all of this out? Sure, they talked on Wednesday night and agreed that time was running out, but for two intelligent people, they sure didn't do much thinking. Edward had a cross country meet on Thursday, and was going to be gone all day. He wouldn't get home until after ten thirty that night, and even if he wasn't off with the cross country team, then he would have driven me to Port Angeles for my class.

Bella and I would both be gone most of Friday with the football team and cheerleaders to go to the football game in Onalaska on Friday night. We wouldn't be back until two thirty in the morning on Saturday, but then Edward had another cross country meet that day. He'd have to be at the school to leave on the bus to Ore before we even got back from Onalaska, and he wouldn't be back until late Saturday afternoon or early evening.

I don't think either of them realized it, but that Wednesday night was the last chance they had to talk things out before Esteban came back to Seattle. If Bella's family forced Edward's hand or made his decisions for him, he'd resent them forever. He'd love Bella, but he'd carry a grudge, and it would take years before we had peace again. I knew he'd come around and accept this on his own. He was trying to hide how much this new life attracted him, and play the devil's advocate, but I knew it didn't repulse him as much as he let on. He just needed time to make up his mind, and think the decision through on his own. If he accepted this, it would be better for all of us. Now I just had to buy him the time he needed to figure out what the rest of us already knew.

I knew what I had to do, but Bella wasn't going to like it. Well, having an inside track on what to expect could come in handy sometimes, and I knew she'd get over it. Friday at the football game I put my plan into action. I invited the girls, Bella, Angela and Jessica, to my house for a sleep over. I knew Carlisle wouldn't mind and it would be fun.

Bella wasn't much of a shopper, and from what she told me, Rose had picked out and bought most of her clothes. She'd be happy burying her nose in a used book store for hours, but anything fun like clothes or shoes seemed to turn her off. I'd have to work on that, but I'd have a long time to get her to see the light. For now, that's where Jessica came in. She loved to shop, and it was easy to get her to start talking about her favorite shopping malls and shopping trips.

Forks was just so isolated, out here in the middle of a sea of trees and green. Thank god for the internet, and online shopping, but sometimes you just wanted to get in there and try things on to see how they looked and felt. Sure, you could look at pictures of shoes, purses and accessories, but what fun was that if you couldn't try them on and walk in them or see how they looked with the rest of the outfit? There was simply nowhere decent to shop out here unless you literally drove for hours, but that would work to my advantage this time.

It was already Saturday morning, when I proposed the idea of a road trip. Jessica was all fired up and ready to flex her credit card, and Angela was sitting there wide-eyed as we described the Promised Land on the other side of the sound. I suggested we drive to Seattle and go shopping, and Jessica jumped on board immediately. Angela hemmed and hawed a bit, but I knew she wanted to go. I looked at Bella, and I could tell she didn't like the idea, but I knew she'd give in.

What about you, Jessica, Are you in?" I asked.

"Hell yes! I'm in. I've been dying to get to some of the malls in Seattle, but mom's been so busy with organizing cheerleading, her aerobics classes and her job. We haven't had a spare moment for a decent shopping trip since school started."

"Ok, Angela, what do you say, want to see some of these shops up close and personal and try on some outfits?"

"Yeah, I really want to go, but I don't know if my parents will let me go all the way to Seattle by myself."

"You're not going by yourself, you're going with us."

"Don't worry, Angela," Jessica said. "I'll have my mom call your mom, and she'll let you go if you want."

"Ok, if they say it's ok, then sure, it sounds like fun."

"Well what do you think, Bella? Are you up for a road trip? Will you drive us to Seattle to hit some malls today?

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Alice… I have to talk to Rich and Marilyn, and see if it's ok."

I knew she was just stalling until she could tell us they said no. It didn't matter what they told her, and she was using it as an excuse. I didn't absolutely need her there, but it would be easier if she took us.

"That's ok, Bella. You don't have to go if you don't want to… I can drive us over and Carlisle can pick Edward up when he comes home from Ore."

"No! Uh, I mean ok, I'll take you if you have to go today…"

"Cool, thanks' Bella.

We talked for a while and made plans, and then Angela and Jessica finally dropped off to sleep. It had been a long day and they were exhausted. I was beat too, but I hadn't been sleeping well since Jasper left. It would probably be easier to sleep now, I knew he was nearby, and I could feel his presence, but it was still hard. I wanted him so bad but I had to be strong. It would be easy to just let Esteban and Esme force Edward's decision, but it was the wrong way to end this, and I had to get them to see reason.

"Alice, just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Bella asked me once Jessica and Angela were fast asleep. "Don't you realize how dangerous it is to go to Seattle right now? You must have seen that!"

"Give me a little credit, Bella. Do you think I would have suggested the trip if I knew anything bad was going to happen? We'll be safe today, and nothing too dangerous is going to happen. Just do what I say, and we'll be fine."

"If you say so, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

"I told you not to worry, and I know how much you've been dying to get over to Lionheart's used books at the Pike Place Market. There's a knife shop I want to look at too. We'll go there first, and then I thought we'd hit Pacific Place."

"Pacific Place! Uhgg. That's where Rose and Esme always want to drag me to buy clothes…"

"There's a Barne's & Nobel there. We can run by to look at some books too. There are some really nice clothes stores too… Maybe Victoria's Secret?"

"What could I possibly use from Victoria's Secret, Alice?"

"Oh, I don't know… You know my brother isn't going to stay stubborn forever… You might need something sooner than you think."

"Alice!"

"Ok, well something to think about. We could always go to the Westlake Center if you prefer, but the shops are a little more upscale at Pacific Place. Now I need to try and get some sleep. Are you going to lie down and pretend to sleep, or did you have something else on your mind?"

"Pretend to sle… Maybe I'll just have a cigarette, and watch a movie or something…"

"Whatever suits you, good night, Bella, see you in the morning. And Bella? Don't let Jasper try and talk you out of this. We're going, no matter how much he doesn't like it." She was still sitting in the chair by the window smoking her cigarette when I finally drifted off to sleep.

We slept in late or at least late for me, and we were up at eight. I heard Bella sneak back into the room and felt her lie down to pretend to wake up, but I didn't say anything. Angela and Jessica were kind of bleary eyed, but I put on a pot of coffee and fixed breakfast as we took turns at the shower, and got dressed for the day.

Jessica called her mom and explained our plans. She smiled and clicked her phone shut, and said everything was taken care of. Angela got a call about fifteen minutes later, and her mom told her she could go with us. I told Carlisle I was going shopping with the girls today when he came down for breakfast, and he just rolled his eyes and said to have fun, so we were good to go.

We were on the road by nine, heading north out of Forks up highway 101 on our way to Seattle. It was about a three hour trip, but Bella drove like a demon, and ignored the speed limit most of the trip. A couple of times, I tapped her on the shoulder, and nodded ahead of us so she'd slow down. The first time it annoyed her, but after we passed the State Trooper parked on a side road for a speed trap, she thanked me and paid attention when I warned her.

We stopped in Port Angeles for a bathroom break to fill up the car with gas, and then got back on the road. We stayed on 101 through Sequim, but turned off onto Highway 104 towards to ferry dock in Kingston when the 101 turned south to follow the western shore of the peninsula around the sound. We took the ferry to Edmonds, and it was like driving into the modern world after being surrounded by forest and open spaces. We weren't even in Seattle yet, but we were in the city. Or at least in the urban sprawl of the greater Seattle Metropolitan area. On the other side of the sound where we lived, you had to drive for hours to get to the next small town. After we got off the ferry, you still drove for hours, but the only way you knew that you left one city and entered the next was if you saw the city limit sign on the side of the road.

Bella drove southeast on the 104 until we hit Interstate 5, and merged onto the freeway heading south. It felt strange to be on an eight lane freeway again. It was only about eleven thirty on Saturday morning, but there was traffic on the freeway, and there just seemed to be so many cars. It brought home the fact that Forks was such a small town. I'd grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and was used to the Urban Sprawl. I'd ridden in cars driving on crowded freeways all of my life, but I realized just how much the small town was affecting me as I stared at the traffic outside the windows. I could see the awe in Angela's eyes as she stared around. Jessica tried to come off as cosmopolitan and sophisticated, but I could see it affecting her too. If the city was affecting me, I knew she had to be putting on an act.

We cruised south on I-5 into the heart of the city, and I felt a familiar thrill looking up at the towers of glass and steel that reached for the sky. Bella merged off the freeway onto Union Street and we started down the crowded manmade canyon between the rows of skyscrapers and high rise buildings. We drove about eight blocks southwest across town and turned right onto Western Avenue. We could see the Pike Place Market out the windows, and then Bella turned to pull into a parking garage. She took the ticket from the machine at the entrance, and then we pulled in and spiraled down the concrete ramps, searching for a parking place.

We found a spot on the second level down, and Bella pulled into the stall and parked the Charger. I think everyone was grateful to finally be able to pile out of the car, and it felt good to stretch our legs. We made our way out of the garage structure down to the ground level, and crossed the open air parking lot to the tower in the southeast corner of the lot. The stairways in the tower led up to the pedestrian walkway of the Desimone Bridge that allowed us to cross the busy street safely, and led directly into the North Arcade of the market.

The Pike Place Market had originally been opened and sponsored as a public market by the City of Seattle in 1907. It had grown over the last almost century to cover nine acres over several blocks, and was home to over a hundred ninety commercial businesses, fifty restaurants, and over two hundred table spaces and stalls that were rented by the day by local farmers and crafts people. The variety of the offerings was truly amazing. There were French and Russian bakeries, Afghani crafts, African spices and nick knacks. Clothing stores and shops offered everything from unique screen printed t-shirts to designer fashions. There were street vendors and performers, and the original Starbucks Coffee shop was still going strong and thriving in the market.

We were in the North Arcade now, and I led us south as we browsed past the stalls looking over exotic merchandise, produce, and craft goods. I noticed that Bella seemed to shy away form the produce and food booths, and she scrunched up her nose like she smelled something unpleasant when we passed some of the stronger smelling food offerings. That was unfortunate. I loved the rich smells and aromas of the market. I thought I'd miss enjoying the scents of food, but I suppose it was a small price to pay to be with Jasper. I wasn't really interested in buying anything in here, but it was fun to browse and look at everything that was for sale.

There were shops I was more interested in further south in the maze like section known as down under. I knew Jessica was chomping at the bit to head over to the boutiques on tree-lined First Avenue, but I wanted to head down under, and I'd promised Bella that we'd visit the used book stores. It made sense to split up, we could cover more ground, and Jessica wouldn't be bored as we dragged her into shops she wasn't interested in. Besides, I needed to talk to Bella. We were coming out of the north Arcade, and I called the group together.

"Jessica, I want to head down under to look at some shops I like down there, and Bella wants to browse some of the used book shops." I could see the look of distaste on Jessica's face, but she seemed resigned. Bella had driven, after all. "Why don't you take Angela and head over to First Avenue? I know that's where you really want to spend some time. Just remember, we're heading over to Pacific Place later, ok?" She immediately brightened up and smiled.

"No, we should stay together. It isn't safe if we split up…" Bella said, chagrined at the thought.

"Don't be such a worry wart, Bella," I said, "They'll be ok. This isn't Jessica's first shopping trip."

"Yeah, Bella, I'll be fine, and I'll keep an eye on Angela, too."

"Jeez, guys, thanks' for the vote of confidence." Angela said, but she was still wide-eyed looking around at all the new sights and the press of people in the market.

The Pike Place Market saw ten million customers a year. It felt like they had taken the entire population of Forks, and crammed them all into a half a block as they moved along through the market shopping and making noise.

"Ok…" Bella said reluctantly, as Jessica and Angela turned to cross Pike Place to head east toward First Avenue.

"C'mon, Bella, they'll be ok. We can tell them we ate lunch, and then you won't have to pretend." I took her ice cold hand and led her into the maze of ramps and walkways that led to the five stories of shops down under. Bella gave me an odd look, but shrugged it off, and followed me into the maze of corridors.

We browsed through to convoluted system of passages, stopping now and then to look at the odd curiosity, but we made steady progress towards the destination that I had in mind. I made my way through the maze of ramps and stairs until I saw the shop up ahead and I took her hand and pulled her towards the shop I was heading for. Bella looked at the shop for the first time, and gave a low whistle of appreciation. "Wow, Alice! How did you find this place?"

"Just browsing around, see what you can find when you don't let your nose drive you away?" I tapped the side of my nose and smiled at her as we went through the door of Chen's House of Steel.

There was every conceivable style of knife and cutting instrument laid out in the display cases, on the walls and several racks and displays on the shop floor. There were hunting knives, throwing knives, bayonets, fighting knives in both eastern and western styles. There were cheap Pakistani throw away boot knives, and some expensive looking Bowie knives with Damascus steel blades, gold and platinum inlay and exotic hardwood handle leaves. There was cutlery, steak knives, meat cleavers and an extensive assortment of folding knives and Balisong butterfly knives.

Hanging on the wall behind the main counter was an assortment of long blades, and I knew from experience that they were all working steel. No cheap knockoffs or theatrical replicas here. There were several fifteenth and sixteenth century pattern Spanish and Italian rapiers, some English broadswords, a couple of Scottish claymores, and some Chinese style cut and thrust fighting blades in both the straight Jian and curved Dao styles. There were a couple of long curved sabers in metal scabbards, and some more modern military ceremonial swords. Set in pride of place in the center of the wall were several Japanese Katana and Wakizashi sets.

There was a wizened old Asian man sitting in the corner of the shop behind the counter, smoking a long stemmed pipe. I could hear the ring of hammer on steel coming from the back of the shop. The air smelled hot, with the scent of burning charcoal, hot steel and the faintly humid odor of steam and hot oil. The old man never moved from his seat, or spoke to us, but his eyes followed us, and they were alert and sharp. I thought they got a little wider when he looked at Bella, but that was the only reaction I noticed.

"Wow, now I like this kind of shopping, Alice. I wish I could talk Rose into coming down here. Were you looking for something special or are we just browsing?"

"Well, I have to pick up an order I placed, but I was hoping you could help me pick out a gift."

"A gift? For who?"

"For Jasper, I wanted to get him something special, but I'm not sure about his tastes yet. I was thinking maybe the Cavalry Saber, but I keep thinking no, go with the Katana set."

"Yeah, follow you gut, he has a Cavalry Saber that's very special to him. I don't think you'd be able to replace it. I'd get him the Katana, that's something he'll use. Which one were you looking at?"

I stepped up to the counter and looked over at the old man. "Is Master Chen available? I'm here to pick up a commission." Then I pointed to a set of swords hanging on the back wall and said to Bella, "I was thinking about the Black Dragon Katana and Wakizashi set."

The old man turned his head and spoke in a rapid fire sing song in some Asian language, and the hammering in the back of the shop stopped. The curtain over the doorway to the back of the shop moved aside, and another Asian man stepped out. He had short close cropped black hair with a sweat soaked head band over his brow. He was wearing a leather vest and apron over jeans and a t-shirt that was printed with Asian script. There were sandals on his feet with leather flaps on the front to protect his feet from sparks, and he pulled off his gloves as he stepped up to the counter. Bella was studying the Katana set when the man walked out of the back, and his eyes got wide as she looked down from the sword and looked at him.

"Yeah, I think Jasper would like that, but I'd want to try it out to test the balance. I know what he's used to, and I could probably tell you if he'd like it or not."

I nodded and turned to the man at the counter, "Good afternoon, Master Chen. I'm here about the custom work I commissioned a couple of months ago. Is it ready to pick up?"

"Of course, Miss Cullen, let me go wrap it up, and it should be ready to go…" He said speaking a little nervously as his eyes kept glancing back at Bella.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to test the blade before we leave, in case I need any adjustments made, and I'm considering another purchase. Do you have cutting targets setup?"

"Of course, Miss Cullen, Do you prefer bamboo or rice straw?"

I looked up at Bella, and she just shrugged.

"Both please, and bring the Black Dragon Katana and Wakizashi set back too, please."

"Of course, Miss Cullen, please follow me."

Master Chen lifted up part of the counter so we could step through, and then he stepped up onto a two step stool to reach for the Katana and Wakizashi hanging on the wall. He held the curtain aside, and we stepped into his work room in the back of the shop. There was a long wooden workbench covered in a neat arrangement of tools, and a small charcoal forge. There was a Japanese style anvil spiked down onto a large balk of wood that looked like it was cut from a length of tree trunk. There were several sword blanks heating in the forge, and a hammer rested on top of the anvil. An Asian boy dressed like Master Chen was sitting on a stool in the back room resting.

Master Chen spoke to him in the same rapid fire Asian dialect the old man out front had spoken in, and the boy quickly got up. He took one of the blanks out of the coals with a pair of tongs, and started to work it on the anvil with the hammer. The Master shook his head and muttered something in the same language as he opened another door in the back of the workshop, and led us into another room. He stopped before he entered and took off his shoes, and we followed his example as we went through the door.

This room looked more like one of the practice rooms at a martial arts studio, and had a smooth wooden floor. There was a table set along one wall covered in a fine white cloth, and several swords were lying on the table. Spaced around the room were a variety of cutting targets. The targets fell into two broad categories; bamboo and rice straw.

The bamboo targets were long straight lengths of tough green bamboo poles, about an inch and a half in diameter. They were set into stands like you'd set a flag pole in, and stuck straight up towards the ceiling. They were about six feet long, and the top of the pole was about head height for a man.

The rice straw targets were more varied. The basic component of the target was a bundle of rice straw about four inches in diameter, with ties about every six inches or so to hold the bundle together. The bundles were anywhere from two to four feet or so long, but the length depended on how they were grouped together. The straw bundles were used to make different shaped targets that represented an opponent that you might be facing in battle. There was one target that was a single upright bundle, like the bamboo targets. Another couple were made with two upright pieces to represent the body of an opponent. Across the top of the uprights was a longer horizontal roll extending out to represent arms. Finally, there were some targets made up of six bundles tied together standing up in a row.

Master Chen stepped over to the table, and laid the Black Dragon Katana and Wakizashi on the table. He picked up another Katana, and walked over to stand in front of me. He presented the sword, holding it in two hands, and bowed to me. I took the sword with two hands and bowed to him, and then he released the sword into my grip. I looked over the sheathed Katana, and it looked perfect. The saya was lacquered royal blue with blackened bronze fittings, highlighted in gold. The standout of this katana was the 'Stalking Panther' motif featured on the blackened iron tsuba. The finest authentic ray skin same' was covered in a premium quality royal blue Japanese cotton ito, and the same top-quality cotton made up the sageo.

I pushed my thumb against the blackened iron tsuba to loosen the blade in the saya, and then I slid the sword out about six inches to examine the blade. The steel was hand-forged and folded K120C powder steel which had been differentially tempered via traditional claying techniques, producing an effective Rockwell 60C edge and stable Rockwell 40C back. The hamon was gorgeous and very prominent, and the hada was equally as impressive, revealing the detail of the steel's folded structure.

This sword was a slightly bigger blade than my Orchid Katana back home in Forks, but it wasn't for me. The kissaki was an inch longer at twenty-nine inches, but the tsuka was a half inch shorter so the overall length of the sword was only forty-one inches. It was heavier than my sword weighing in at two pounds eleven ounces, but I shouldn't have any problem trying it out.

I moved over in front of one of the bamboo targets, and glanced around to be sure I was clear and nobody was standing too close. I knelt before the target with the katana at my left side. I lowered my head and focused my concentration on the moment, letting my mind go to flow with my actions. I didn't think about what I was doing, I let my training control my reactions and simply acted. I pushed my thumb against the blackened iron tsuba to loosen the blade in the saya, and then I became the sword.

My right hand gripped the tsuka lightly and the blade leaped out of the saya as I rose to my feet in a fluid motion. I left the saya on the ground where I'd knelt and the blade flashed in an arc through the bamboo pole twelve inches from the top, where the neck of my opponent would be. The cut piece of bamboo hardly moved to the side and dropped straight down. My left hand moved onto the tsuka for a two handed grip as I reversed the blade and it flashed through the pole at hip height, cleanly passing through. I pulled the blade back into another reverse, and the cut piece fell away in two chunks from my third cut, before it had even started to fall.

I stepped back and examined the blade, and it was still pristine and razor sharp. I knelt back where I had started, and retrieved the saya. I flourished the Katana through osameto to reverse the blade, giving it a flick of the wrist to shake the imaginary blood off of the tip of the blade, bringing the tsuba to my left thumb and drawing the blade forward through the fingers of the left hand before inserting the tip of the blade into the saya, sharp edge of the blade facing up, and then I slid the Katana into the saya.

"Excellent craftsmanship, Master Chen, please wrap it up, and I'll take it with me today," I said as I stepped over to the Asian man and returned the Katana to Master Chen. "Now, may we examine the Black Dragon Katana?"

"Certainly, Miss Cullen," and Master Chen turned to the table.

He laid the Stalking Panther Katana back on the Table, and took up the Black Dragon Katana. He presented the Katana to me, and I bowed and took the sword. I tested the weight, and it felt about the same as the Stalking Panther Katana. This Japanese sword was mounted in black and was constructed with a tsuka formed of an authentic ray skin same' and premium black Japanese cotton ito. The black iron tsuba was artistically rendered, and featured a dragon highlighted in gold with great detail on both the front and back. The saya was deeply lacquered in black with a black cotton sageo. The katana featured beautifully antiqued fittings creating an aesthetically appealing yet dangerously effective cutting tool.

I turned to Bella and presented the sword and bowed. She took the sword with two hands and returned the bow.

"Go ahead and try it out, and tell me what you think."

"Ok, Alice," and she hefted the sword and tested the weight. "It feels about right, just like his practice sword."

She pushed her thumb against the blackened iron tsuba to loosen the blade in the saya, and then slid the sword out a couple of inches to examine the blade. Then she nodded and smiled.

"This is excellent craftsmanship. The hamon is very prominent and striking, and the hada is just as impressive," Bella said as she examined the blade.

Bella took the saya and pushed the Katana through the belt of her jeans so the sword was at her left hip as she approached the first straw target. She pushed her thumb against the blackened iron tsuba to loosen the blade in the saya, and then slid the sword out of the saya and reversed the blade and held it pointing straight up behind her back in her right hand as she approached the straw target.

The blade flashed out in a single handed overhand slash first to the left and then the right as the four inch bound straw arms of the target fell away. She reversed the blade with a flourish after the second cut, and the blade flashed across the center of the target in a rising two handed strike. The target remained motionless as though she had missed, but as she was turning away the tops of the two upright straw rolls slowly toppled over, cleanly cut through.

She turned toward the second bamboo pole and brought the blade up in a rising underhand strike as she turned and the top of the pole moved two inches to the side and dropped straight down. she followed through her spin and made a downward strike across the center of the pole and then reversed and drew a third cut lower across where the legs would be, and then both cut pieces slowly toppled in opposite directions.

She flourished the Katana through osameto to reverse the blade, giving it a flick of the wrist to shake the imaginary blood off of the tip of the blade, bringing the tsuba to her left thumb and drawing the blade forward through the fingers of the left hand before inserting the tip of the blade into the saya, sharp edge of the blade facing up, and then she slid the Katana into the saya.

"This is perfect, Alice. Jasper will love this sword. The weight and balance are just the way he likes it. I wouldn't change anything."

She presented the sword back to me, and I returned it to Master Chen. "Thank you, Master Chen, I'll take then both."

"Excellent, Miss Cullen, Please come back up front, and we can settle the payment arrangements."

We went back out to the front of the shop, and Master Chen followed us out a couple of minutes later with three sword shaped cloth bags, and a large cardboard box. He laid everything on the counter, and turned to the cash register to ring up the purchase. I peeked inside the box, and the display stands and the tools and cleaning kits were packaged inside.

"How would you like to pay for your purchase today, Miss Cullen? We have an easy payment plan available, if you'd like to fill out an application, or we accept cash and most major credit cards…"

I looked at the number on the cash register. I just opened my purse, and handed him my credit card. His eyes got a little bigger as he took the black plastic card. It wasn't an everyday occurrence when two teenaged girls walked into his shop and then bought custom hand forged battle ready swords and paid for them with a credit card. Most plastic didn't have a high enough credit limit. This purchase was close to four thousand dollars with tax, but he just scanned it, and handed me back the card and the receipt to sign when it came back approved.

"Thank you very much for your business, Miss Cullen, and please come again. Do you need help out to your car with your purchase?"

"We'll take the swords, but we could use a little help with the box, I think."

I picked up the matching black cloth bags, and handed them to Bella, and then I picked up the blue cloth bag. Master Chen turned and fired off a rapid fire string of the oriental language, and the boy from the workshop trotted out and picked up the box for us, and waited by the door.

Bella looked around the shop a little wistfully, and looked back at the swords. She seemed to make a decision, and opened her purse and took out a card. She looked at Master Chen, and handed him the card. He glanced at it, and his eyes got big, and then he bowed deeply to Bella.

"I like this shop. I'll be back in, and I have some friends that'll like it too. You can expect more business in the future, Master Chen," Bella said.

"Thank you, Mistress," and he bowed deeply again.

We went out the door and turned to go back to the car to put the swords away, and the boy from the shop trotted along behind us with the box.

"What was that card you gave Master Chen back there, Bella?" I asked once we were away from the shop.

"A favor, and contact information. It let's Master Chen ask my family for help if he needs it, and identifies him as somebody that's helped my family. It's a sign of respect. If we help him out, then we expect him to help us out. I think I'll be sending a lot of business his way, and you'll probably get a discount the next time you go there."

"So, your family is pretty well… Connected…"

"Yes, I suppose. So who is that blue Stalking Panther Katana for, Alice? You handle it ok, but I know you didn't buy it for yourself."

"I though you would have guessed by now. It's for Edward."

"Edward? I didn't think he was into swords or the martial arts… Why are you buying him a sword?"

"You weren't into swords or martial arts before you met Esme and Rose either, were you? He'll learn, and I'm sure you'll be an excellent teacher." Bella just stared at me with her mouth open, and then she followed me back to the car.

We got back to the car, and Bella opened the trunk. The boy deposited the box, and bowed. I gave him a tip for carrying the box out for us, and he smiled and trotted off back toward the market. We put the swords in, and Bella closed the trunk.

"You placed that commission months ago. Before me and Jasper ever even moved to Forks… Alice, you scare me sometimes… Just how much do you know?"

"Know? About what, Bella? Tell you what. I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you how much I know if you'll repeat it all back to Edward."

"Hmmph, you know I can't do that, don't you? Just how much does Edward know?"

"Not nearly as much as me. He's got some suspicions, but no hard evidence. Besides, who's gonna stop you, Esteban? Edward's gonna find out anyhow, whether you tell him, or Esteban and Esme get a hold of him. Is that how you want it, the hard way? How do you think Edward's gonna react if they kidnap him and make his decision for him? You know how he'll react! He'll fight them for the next forty years, if we last that long. Edward's gotta come onboard of his own free will, or we'll all regret it."

"Alice, I can't… I'm not afraid of Esteban. I'm scared of Edward. What if I tell him everything, and he doesn't want me. What if he calls me a monster and runs away screaming…? I couldn't handle that… I don't know what to do… I thought I'd have more time, but then that stupid accident went and ruined everything. I couldn't let him die, Alice."

"I know, Bella, and I'm glad you saved him, but one of you has to take the initiative and settle this! You're both as bad as Jasper, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Edward's waiting for you to trust him enough to tell him about yourself, and you're waiting for him to tell you he loves you and doesn't care about the magic. In the mean time, Esteban isn't going to wait for either of you to make up your minds."

"I know… Alice, I'm worried… It's already Saturday, and I haven't been able to talk to Edward…"

"Don't worry, I'll fix this. You're not going to like it, but I have to ask you to do something."

"What? I'm not going to tell Edward, if that's what you want, I'm not ready for that…"

"No, you're going to take us to The Flying Dutchman. Tonight after we go to the mall…"

"No way, Alice! I can't do that! Jasper would be so pissed off at me… He's already fuming mad that I let you talk me into coming to Seattle."

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Bella. If you won't take us, then I'll just drive back by myself, but one way or the other, I'm going."

"Alice…"

"Call Rose and make the arrangements. It'll be ok, you'll see."

"Alice, I'm not supposed to. They have a very exclusive clientele…"

"Oh come on, Bella. It's not like we'd be the only humans there tonight. We can spend most of the time in the public part of the club. Besides, you took me there the last time we came to Seattle."

"The only hu… Alice! This isn't right. The rest of them work there, or they know what's going on!"

I raised an eyebrow and just waited.

"What about Angela and Jessica? They still don't know anything, right?"

"No, they don't know anything. I'm sure you'll think of something. Now call Rose and tell her we're coming. She'll want to have time to prepare, and I'm sure she'll have a solution for you."

We were standing outside the parking garage now, ready to head back across the lot. She looked at me with pleading eyes one more time. I held my thumb and little finger up to my head to mimic making a call and pointed at her. She sighed and reached into her purse, and got out her phone to make the call.

"Hi, Rose…"

"No, I'm in Seattle. I'm shopping with Alice and a couple of girls from the cheerleading squad."

"Ha ha, very funny. Next time we move, I'm gonna make you go to school with me, and you can be the cheerleader."

"Ewww, gross! I don't care what Emmett likes! That's too much information Rose…"

"Yeah, about that… Alice wants me to bring them to the club tonight…" Bella winced and held the phone away from her ear for a moment.

"I know."

"I know."

"Rose, she isn't going to take no for an answer. She said she'd come back by herself if I take her back to Forks…"

"We're at the Pike Place Market right now, but we're going to Pacific Place later."

"Ok, how will you find us…?"

"Ok…"

"Ok, Rose, I get it…"

"I love you too, see ya tonight," and she hung up the phone.

"Ok, Alice, Rose said she'd take care of it. She's gonna meet us at Pacific Place. She said she has a package for us."

"Thanks' Bella, don't worry, this is all going to work out just fine. Now, let's go have some fun," and I took her icy cold hand as we crossed the lot and went back to the market to do more shopping.

We went to Bella's bookstore next and killed an hour browsing through the stacks. I found a couple of books I wanted, and bought them. I offered Bella a couple of suggestions for titles, and I think if she could have blushed, she would have been bright red half way to her toes. She didn't put the books back though, and I saw them in her stack when we were checking out. Good, it never hurt a girl to be prepared, and I wasn't sure how much real information she had. I knew she had some self-esteem issues to work on, and she needed confidence to move forward in this relationship with Edward. She might be older than me in years, but I had a feeling I was going to have to be the big sister here for a while.

We moved on and did more shopping. Bella bought some really cool silk-screened t-shirts from one stall, and I grabbed some snacks to munch on as we browsed, so we could tell Jessica and Angela that we'd had lunch already. I bought an adorable looking electric blue skirt, a purple off the shoulder peasant shirt and another deck of tarot cards form a lady that was dressed like a gypsy in a stall offering a variety of authentic looking bohemian crafts, clothes and hand dyed fabrics. She wouldn't come talk to me until Bella moved on to the next booth, then she took my hand, stared into my eyes for a minute, and smiled at me as she handed me the cards.

"You don't need the cards, do you?" She said, as she took my money, and put my things in a paper sack. "You should let your hair grow, but it's still cute like that," and she handed me the bag. "Be careful, stay safe," and she nodded her head in Bella's direction as I left the stall.

I caught up to Bella and we browsed around for a while heading north through the market. Around three thirty I got a text from Jessica asking where we wanted to meet. They had gotten lunch already, and were ready to head over to Pacific Place if we were. I texted back, and told her and Angela to meet us at the corner of Stewart and Pike Place at Local Color. We were practically standing in front of it now. I stuck my phone back in my purse, and we walked into the open store front of the shop.

Bella surprised me when she didn't shy away from the strong scents or scrunch up her nose, and actually seemed to enjoy the aroma of roasting coffee and the heady scent of chocolate and cocoa coming from the service counter inside the little artsy espresso bar. I looked over the menu, and ordered a double mocha latte with an extra shot of espresso and whipped cream, while Bella looked over the menu.

When I was done, she surprised me again. She stepped up to the counter, and explained to the barista that she was deathly allergic to milk and lactose products, but she'd like a lactose free double cocoa with a shot of espresso and hold the whipped topping. Then she paid for both of our drinks and gave the barista a big tip when she set the drinks on the counter. We took our drinks, and found a table to wait for Angela and Jessica to come meet us.

"Well, this is a first," I said as I watched Bella sip her cocoa. She seemed to savor the taste and really enjoy it.

"What do you mean, Alice?" Bella asked.

"That's the first time I've ever seen you eat or drink anything that wasn't at least eighty proof. Chocolate? Who would have guessed?"

"No, not chocolate, but cocoa in its raw form is really kind of cool. Chocolate is what the European confectioners came up with when they took the goodness of cocoa, and perverted it with milk. Honestly, Alice, do I look like a baby cow? I don't see how you can drink that stuff. Do you know where it comes from?"

"I'm sure I could ask you the same question about some of your less public dietary choices, but that's a conversation for another day. So cocoa is ok without the milk, and apparently coffee too?"

"Well, I like a shot of espresso in my cocoa, but Rose tells me it's gross, and the rest of the family thinks it's weird. Esteban and Jasper have some occasionally, when they're feeling adventurous, but they say it's an acquired taste. They think the taste for it has to do with how some of us have special… I'll shut up now."

"Jasper is special? What's the matter, Bella? Are you ok?" If I didn't know better, I'd say she was getting a little tipsy, but she hadn't had anything to drink but the cocoa… "Bella, just what kind of effect does that kind of drink have on you?"

"Really, Alice, I'm fine. I should have waited 'til we got to the club tonight, but I've been so tense, and it just smelled so good in here. I'm stronger than this," but she glanced wistfully at the cup of cocoa and sighed.

"That shit's getting you high! Isn't it?"

"It's not like that, Alice. Well maybe a little. It does induce a mild euphoria, but it's probably more like the way liquor affects you," she took another sip, and smiled at me.

"So you can guzzle shot after shot of hard liquor, but a half a cup of cocoa starts to get you high? That's just… strange."

"What did you think all those explorers were really looking for in South America, Inca Gold? The cocoa trade financed half of the age of exploration. Besides, who do you think was running the show down in South America in the Mayan and Aztec kingdoms for all those centuries? You know, the blood sacrifices and cutting out hearts? Add in the cocoa, and no wonder they all went nuts." She shook herself, and pushed the cup away.

"Psst, Ok, enough with the history lesson," I moved the cup further away to the edge of the table, and I nodded towards the front of the shop.

Jessica and Angela were looking around, and then they spotted us and came over to our table. Jessica was carrying about half a dozen bags, and it looked like Angela was carrying about the same amount for her.

"Jessica, I told you we were going to Pacific Place this afternoon. How are we going to fit all this in?"

"I'm sorry, Alice, but there was an amazing sale… We ought to be able to fit all of this in the trunk…"

"We'll see what we can do. We already put some stuff in the trunk. One of the reasons I wanted to come today was to pick up some stuff I'd ordered. It's already in the car. I don't know. Maybe we can get rid of some of the boxes and refold it…"

We got up and headed out of the shop, and crossed Pike Place to the North Arcade as we retraced our steps back to the car. We managed to fit all of Jessica's stuff into the trunk, but it was going to cut into what we could possibly buy at Pacific Place. Well, there would be other trips, or maybe some of Bella's family could hold some stuff if I found anything I just had to have. We got into the car, and pulled to the exit of the lot. Bella paid for the parking, and we pulled out of the lot.

"Ok, I'm paying for the parking at the mall, Bella. That's twice now. You bought the coffee, and then paid for the parking, the next ones on me."

"If you say so, Alice…"

"I do. Hey Jessica, Angela, Bella and I were talking earlier. Bella's friends own a nightclub here in Seattle. I talked Bella into taking us to meet them, tonight. So what do you say, want to check out the Seattle night life, up close and personal?

"Oh, that is so cool!" Jessica squealed. "I wish you would have said something earlier! I saw the cutest outfit that I could have worn tonight! Alice, where are we going to change? I can pickup something to wear at the mall, but I need to shower, and do my hair…"

"Bella?"

"There are some apartments and umm dormitories in the same building as the Club. We can change there…"

Angela was a little less enthusiastic, "I guess we can go… We aren't going to be out too late, are we? I haven't seen Ben all day and I miss him, besides, I don't have anything to wear…"

"Don't worry, Angela. I'll find you something to wear, but I'm afraid we'll probably be pretty late. Most of the clubs don't even open 'til nine, and the action in these Clubs doesn't even start to really get going 'til at least ten. It's a three hour drive back to Forks. You can see Ben tomorrow."

"You're right, Alice. I want to see the mall, and even if we left right after that it would be too late in Forks to see him tonight. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Let's make this a girl's night out to remember."

"That's the spirit, Ange', now let's tear this mall up!"

Bella drove us to the mall; it was only six or seven blocks away. The Pacific Place mall blended into the surrounding landscape of store front businesses at the street level, but the building actually took the entire city block. The location was listed as Sixth Avenue and Pine Street, and the business office was in a suite on Pine Street, but the ground floor entrance was actually on the corner of Olive and Seventh. There was a large parking garage under the mall, and Bella turned down Seventh Street and then turned into the parking garage entrance. We spiraled down into the depths of the garage, and then Bella pulled into a parking stall.

We got out of the car and made our way to the elevator, and took it up to the street level. It was like stepping out into another world when the doors opened. We stepped out into the large open central courtyard, and what had looked like individual store front shops from the street ringed to ground level of the mall with open store front and sales displays. The courtyard was open through the four stories of the mall to a glass skylight ceiling above the open space, and four stories of shops ringed the opening.

The majority of the mall shops were open until eight o'clock, but the movies and the restaurants kept their own schedule, and Barnes & Noble was open until eleven seven days a week. That gave us about four hours to pick out something for each of us to wear to the club tonight. Bella had clothes at the club she could wear tonight, but if she found something she really liked, I would get it for her. Of course, the odds of Bella wanting to shop for a new dress, or finding something she wanted were small. I'd concentrate on Angela first, and worry about Bella after. Jessica should be able to fend for herself, and I'm surprised she didn't already have something to wear in the packages she'd loaded into the car.

We went to Barney's of New York first, and there were a lot of fashion icons, but Jessica put it succinctly when she said that they all looked like something her mom would wear. We were definitely going for a younger look, and headed over to BCGCMAXAZARIA next. Now we were talking, and started browsing through the cocktail dresses to find something that grabbed us and said 'wow'.

I was happy shopping there, but Angela took one look at the price tags, and blanched white. Jessica was having fun browsing and mentioned she'd like to come back here to find something for prom, but it was probably a little out of her league too. I reluctantly decided they were probably right, and we went to browse some of the other shops in the mall. We went to Bebe, Benetton, Anne Taylor and Chico's but I kept getting the same reactions until Jessica suggested we take a look at Nordstrom's, and we went across the sky bridge on the third level into the department store. The enclosed walkway connected the mall to the flagship Nordstrom's store across Sixth Avenue. We made our way back to the women's section and started browsing again.

Angela wasn't strictly 'petite', but she was thin and willowy despite her height. I was pretty sure we'd find something to compliment her figure. I had her try on a bunch of different dresses, but she kept complaining about the cost, and how I shouldn't be spending money on her like this. In the end I think I wore her down with the shear volume of outfits we tried, and we finally settled on a ruched bead trim satin sheath dress in a soft mink brown. The dress was fully lined so at least we didn't need to worry about looking for a slip.

Jessica was having fun shopping for a dress and must have tried on at least as many as we found for Angela to look at. She ended up falling in love with a little mock two piece Ponte knit dress. It was a real standout sheath dress designed with multidirectional seaming at the square-neck bodice, and asymmetrical seams that continued down through the skirt and enhanced the curve-hugging silhouette. I thought it was cute with the ruby red top, and the three quarters little black dress bottom. The bodice was lined, but Jessica went off to look for a slip to wear with it while I helped Angela, and Bella resigned herself to enduring the ordeal.

I was keeping a lookout for something for myself as I selected dresses for Angela and Bella to try on. About halfway through the process I found a simple black matte jersey shift with an adorable bold white print detailing on the sleeves and around the hem. The dress was a simple design that slipped on over the head, but had a graceful bateau neckline and wide three-quarter-length sleeves. The print detailing gave it an almost medieval feel, but it was really just a little black dress with a modern look. I tried it on, and fell in love with it. The hemline hung a couple of inches above my knees covering about the top two thirds of my thighs, and although the dress was unlined, the fabric was heavy enough that I didn't need to worry about it being seen through.

Bella was trying to blend into the background while we shopped. She was making herself useful holding onto our bags as one or another of us would go to the dressing room to try something on, but I wasn't going to have it. I fully intended for her to have the full shopping experience along with the rest of us, and made it a point to pick out some outfits for her to try on. I'll admit, my primary focus was on Angela at this point, but once I'd gotten her to accept the satin sheath dress, I was free to focus my efforts on Bella.

I finally talked her into a cobalt blue crepe dress with a classic sheath silhouette and a pleated asymmetrical neckline that added a modern flair to the classic styling. The dress had small pleats above and below the natural waistline to enhance the fit. It was a little more conservative than the miniskirt outfit she'd worn that night at the drive-in with the hemline only three or four inched above the knee, but Esteban would be back tonight, and she'd probably be wearing this outfit when she had to talk to him.

Now that we had the basics under control it was time to find some shoes to go with the dresses that we'd picked out. We were running out of time and had to make some quick decisions before the store closed. Jessica was on her own here as she browsed and had the salesman bring her out several different styles to choose from. I sat Angela and Bella down, and had the girl that was helping us bring out my selections to have them try on and walk around in.

I picked out a pair of low heeled sandals for Angela. She felt uncomfortable in anything else due to her natural height, but the shoes would look great with her dress. Bella was a little easier to shop for. I knew the clumsy routine that she played at during school was part of her 'fitting in' act, although I think she went a little overboard from the stories I'd heard about gym class. I picked her out a pair of cobalt blue four inch stilettos to match her dress. I picked out an ultra high pair of stilettos in black with a one inch platform sole for myself, but I could get away with it. Even Bella was still taller than me with five inch heels on, but I loved how they went with my outfit.

We hooked back up with Jessica at the checkout stand, and I let her go first. I thought Angela and Bella were going to start complaining again when the sales girl rang up the total, but I shut them down with a look, and they wisely decided to keep their comments to themselves and let me have my fun. C'mon, really they were just shoes, and you got what you paid for. Did they really want some cheap knock off that would be uncomfortable all night? Jessica's eyes got big when I handed my black credit card to the sales girl, and she scanned it through the register.

"Wow, Alice! What is your dad going to say about how much you spent today!" she said as she looked at the total. "I know your dad runs his own business, but I didn't think the whole holistic medicine gig was that big a deal."

I suppose I could see her point, but I only spent about a hundred and fifty dollars for the dress, and two fifty for the shoes. For myself. If you threw in Bella and Angela's outfits, I suppose it was a large purchase. For someone like Jessica. I didn't think twice about it, and would have gladly kept shopping if we had more time.

"This isn't Carlisle's money, Jessica. I have my own accounts, but he wouldn't be upset if it was. The clinic is really just a hobby. My dad makes his money from the stock market and his online business. My own portfolio is bigger than his, but I give him stock tips sometimes to let him try and keep up."

Jessica just stared as I signed the receipt, and then we grabbed our bags and got across the sky bridge back into the mall as the store was closing for the night. Most of the shops were locking up and closing their gates as we made our way back to the elevator in the courtyard atrium. Luckily the restaurants kept their own schedule and the central atrium would stay open until the restaurants closed later tonight.

We took the bags down to the car, and managed to squeeze everything in. We would be using a lot of it tonight to change for the club, so we left the bags we'd need in the back seat, and then went back up to the mall to get some dinner. There were several good restaurants to choose from, but as we were riding the elevator back up, Bella stopped the car at the first level to get out.

"Hey, guy's, I'll meet you after you eat, ok? With my food allergies, and the special diet the doctor has me on, I can't order anything here. I'm gonna head over to Barnes & Noble and check out the book store. We can meet up after you eat, ok?" Bella said as she stepped out of the elevator.

"Ok, Bella, we'll meet you in the book store after we eat."

"Are you sure there isn't anything you can order here," Angela asked. "You've got to be starving. You haven't had a thing to eat all day, and it's going to be a long night."

"Alice and I had some snacks at the market. Besides, Esme knows about my diet and has some things for me at the club. I'll grab something there if I get hungry later," and Angela and Jessica just nodded.

They were used to Bella not eating at lunch, or just taking off to do her own thing. They didn't give it a second thought once she explained her plans. The elevator doors closed, and we continued up to the fourth level where most of the restaurants were. I wanted to go to Thai Ginger, or Mexico, and try something exotic and different, but I gave in and let Angela and Jessica drag me into Johnny Rockets. It was an authentic re-creation of a 1940s hamburger malt shop, but didn't we get that every night already? I guess you could take the girl out of the small town, but you couldn't take the small town out of the girl.

Dinner was fun. I had a real fountain Cherry Coke made the old-fashioned soda fountain way, Chile fries, and a marinated chicken breast. It was grilled to perfection and served with fresh lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise in a grilled bun. Jessica had the Streamliner, the original vegetarian Boca burger with grilled onions, fresh lettuce, tomato, pickle and mustard. And Angela had the Original. I grilled beef patty with Fresh lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, relish, pickle, mustard and mayonnaise.

It was kind of cool sitting at the U-shaped black Formica counter on the red upholstered chrome barstools. The classic 40's and 50's music from the countertop nickel jukeboxes fit the atmosphere perfectly, but we didn't want to leave Bella alone too long, and we left to head down to the bookstore as soon as we were done eating. We rode the elevator back down to the first level, and crossed the atrium towards Barnes & Noble.

There was still some time before we needed to leave for the club, and Angela and Jessica wanted to browse and take a look around. The Pacific Place Barnes & Noble store was huge, and offered a vast selection of more than 175,000 titles from more than 10,000 publishers, plus accessories, collectibles, cards, and gifts. There was even a café coffee shop, and reading room in the store among the three stories of books. I left the girls to browse through the magazines and told them I'd go look for Bella as I went to go look in the store.

Somehow I thought I'd find Bella in the classics looking at romance novels, but I spotted her talking to the tall statuesque blond that had come to the football game in Sequim to watch Bella cheer. I started over towards them, and it turned out they were in the automotive section, surrounded by car books. The blond was actually holding onto a couple of selections, and they looked like they had come from this section. They turned to watch me approach, and Bella smiled, but the blond just glared at me and seemed displeased about something.

"Hey, Bella, we're done with dinner. Angela and Jessica are looking at magazines. So, are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Sure, Alice," Bella said, a little apprehensively. "Alice Cullen, This is my friend Rosalie Hale. Rosalie, this is Alice Cullen. Rose has been like a sister to me, ever since we met and she brought me home."

"I'm pleased to finally meet you, Rosalie," I said, and held out my hand. Rosalie looked down at me like I was something she'd just scraped off her shoe, but she took my hand in her ice cold grip as she looked me over.

"So you're Alice. Please, call me Rose. Bella has told me a lot about you. I glad that you've been a friend to Bella, but you know, you've been causing a lot of trouble. You shouldn't be here today, and you shouldn't be forcing Bella to help you."

"Causing trouble is one of my specialties, but don't worry Rose, everything will work out. I'm just trying to do what's best for Bella and Edward no matter how pig-headed they both are. Now, did you bring the package for Bella?"

"Yes…"

"Good, we'll head over in a little bit. Just make sure you remind everyone what to do, and make sure Emmett relays the instructions at the door. I don't think anyone will slip up."

"You know, you're taking a big chance with your friend's lives, first coming here today, and bringing them tonight."

"Give me a little credit, Rose. I wouldn't have done this if I'd seen any real danger. Nobody will say anything to Angela or Jessica. It's not the first time you've brought girls in for a tour that didn't know anything. Just treat them like you would any new prospective talent. Who knows, maybe they'll even sign up and come work for you after they graduate. Angela's going to need money for college."

"Just how much do you know?" Rosalie asked, and looked over at Bella with her fists on her hips as her foot tapped on the floor. "Bella, what have you been telling Alice about us?"

Bella held up her hands, and shook her head. "Don't look at me, I haven't said anything. I told you about the sword…"

Rose looked back at me. "Well, are you going to explain this?"

"Explain what, Rose? What exactly am I supposed to know about?"

"Yeah, right, Jasper is going to have his hands full with you…"

"I hope so, and the sooner the better. Now, tell Esme not to worry, and we'll be along in a bit. We'll come in the back way through the garage so we can stop in the apartments to change."

"Bella…!" Rose exclaimed, exasperated.

"Honest, Rose, I haven't breathed a word. Alice is just… Gifted…"

"Humph… Well you can explain this to Esteban, tonight. I'll do my part, but he isn't going to like this…"

"Don't worry about Esteban, I'll take care of that myself," I said, and both of them just stared at me.

Then Bella looked up and glanced back behind me. "Rose, they're coming over. You better get going. We'll see you in a while…"

"Yeah, I'll see you later tonight," Then she turned to glare at me again. "Remember, Alice, If anything happens to them, it's your fault," and then Rose turned on her heel and left. She went to the checkout stand to pay for her books, and then left through the store front of the shop into the mall.

"Who was that blond girl you were talking too?" Jessica asked when the girls got over to us. She glanced back toward the front of the store, but Rose was gone now.

"That was Bella's friend, Rose, from the club. So, Bella, do you have the package?" I asked.

"Oh, of course, Alice, now, let me see," and she held up the cloth bag and opened the drawstring to look inside.

She reached inside and took out three pendant necklaces that were similar to the one she was wearing, but there were some differences. She handed one of the necklaces to each of us.

"These necklaces are your identification for the club tonight. They'll identify to the staff as guests and friends. You need to keep them on so they can be seen while you're at the club."

I looked at the pendants on the necklaces that Angela and Jessica were putting on, and I recognized the design. They looked like the necklaces that the girls that had come to Jessica's party to help out had worn. The design on the pendants looked like the family crest on Bella's necklace and Jasper's motorcycle jacket, but it was a little different. It had the crossed swords and the fist between the points, but the background was quartered in red and silver instead of gold and silver, and the three green shamrocks across the bottom were missing. There was a single red heart below the handles of the swords, instead of the row of shamrocks. The difference between the pendants those girls had worn and these were that the border around these pendants was enameled in red. It almost looked like somebody had taken red nail polish and carefully painted it onto the edges of the pendants.

The pendant on the necklace that Bella gave me was different from the other two. The design on the pendant looked like the same family crest on Bella's necklace and Jasper's wrist cuff, it had the crossed swords and the fist between the points, and the background was quartered in gold and silver, but the three green shamrocks across the bottom had been replaced with the single red heart below the handles of the swords. There was no red nail polish on my necklace.

"These are so cool, Bella," Jessica said. "These are so much better than those tacky laminated plastic tags that they have at that club in Port Angeles. This will even look good with the dress I bought."

I looked down at the pendant on my necklace, and over at Angela's and Jessica's. I looked at Bella and raised an eyebrow, as I looked at her with the question hanging between us. Bella just shrugged and turned away. I suppose she couldn't talk in front the girls, and we turned and started for the check stand to pay for Bella's books so we could leave.

We went back to the elevator after we left the book store, and rode it back down into the parking garage to find Bella's car. She led us unerringly back to the red Dodge Charger, and we piled in with our packages for the ride to the club.

It was dark out now, as we drove out of the underground parking garage and back onto the streets of Seattle. I thought we were heading northwest as we wound through the brightly lit city moving through the downtown maze of streets. I'm sure I would have found my way if I would have come on my own, but it would have taken longer and there would have been unnecessary complications. This was the best option with the least chance of a fight, even if it was a little more dangerous for the girls. As long as we stuck to the plan everything should work out, and we got to go shopping too. Wasn't that a win-win situation?

I hadn't seen a street sign for a while now, but we were on a side street in the heart of downtown. Bella turned down another small dark side street, and about halfway down the block she turned into a driveway. She reached into her purse and took out what looked like a garage door remote and pressed a button. The steel bar gate in front of us slid open, and we drove down the ramp into another dimly lit underground parking garage. I saw the gate behind us start to slide closed, and started to spiral down under the buildings above us.

I thought we were at least three levels down when we came to another steel gate. This gate was a solid looking affair like a steel clad garage door with heavy metal straps and big heavy rivets like you'd see holding a bridge together. Bella used the remote again, and the gate slid open sideways. It looked like it was sliding in channels built into the floor and ceiling as it moved out of the way to the sound of powerful machinery. We pulled forward into a short well lit corridor, but there was another gate like the one we'd driven through in front of us. I looked back, and the gate we'd passed through was closing. It looked like Bella had pulled up next to a metal toll booth box like you saw when you went into a parking garage to take a ticket, but there was no ticket sticking out. When the gate behind us was closed, Bella opened her window and punched numbers into a keypad on the box. The gate in front of us opened so we could drive through the gateway.

We drove forward into a brightly lit parking garage with several rows of parked vehicles. Bella pulled into a parking spot between a really cute little red convertible and a shiny black Mercedes sedan. There was a huge four-wheel drive jeep parked next to the convertible, and I could see a row of motorcycles further down in the garage. There were another couple of rows of expensive looking cars behind us.

We got out of the car, and took the bags with the things we had bought for tonight with us. Bella led us over to an elevator, and pressed the call button. I could see what looked like a professional garage area setup beyond the elevator doors as we waited for them to open. There were a couple of hydraulic car lifts, work benches, tool boxes, and what looked like an electronic diagnostic computer.

We stepped into the elevator when the doors opened. Bella took a key out of her purse when we had all piled in, and stuck the key into a slot next to one of the buttons on the control panel. She turned the key and pushed the button, and the car started moving up. I lost count of the floors as the elevator car climbed up into the building above us. I knew we had to be up close to the top of the steel and glass tower, and then the doors opened onto a brightly lit room.

We stepped out of the elevator into what looked like a huge living room that was open through at least three levels of the building. It was decorated in subtle shades of white on white and subdued pastels with several attractive furniture groups of couches and chairs. One group was setup for viewing a huge flat screen TV, while other groupings looked to be setup for conversation or quiet contemplation and reading. The room must have covered a good third of these floors of the building. One wall was three stories of glass and the view looked out over the lights of the city. The view of Seattle at night was spectacular, and I could see the Space Needle and the monorail northwest of us.

Bella led us across the room to a broad curved stairway and the stunningly beautiful woman with caramel-colored hair that I'd seen sitting next to Jasper in the bleachers at the football game in Sequim was waiting for us at the foot of the stairs. I vaguely remembered her from my last trip here, but I knew who she was from Edwards's description and what I had seen.

"Hello, Esme," Bella said a little sheepishly, looking down at the floor, but the woman stepped forward and pulled Bella into a hug. Esme was wearing a beautiful green dress and heels, and she looked like she was ready to head out on the town for the evening, but I didn't think that was the plan. She stepped back but held Bella's hands.

"Thank you for coming to visit, dear. You know you're always welcome here. Now why don't you introduce me to your friends?"

"Esme, this is Alice Cullen," and Bella indicated me to Esme.

She stepped in front of me, and gave me a hug, but leaned in and whispered in my ear. "I'm so happy for you and Jasper, but you're being naughty, Alice. We need to talk later," and then she stepped back, smiling for Jessica and Angela.

Bella introduced Jessica and Angela, and Esme hugged them too.

"Ok, girls," Esme said as she stepped past us. "I need to go downstairs now, and check on the preparations in the club for the evening. Bella can show you where you can freshen up and get changed. I'll see you downstairs when you're ready. Bella, dear, why don't you take the girls to the downstairs Club for a while, and then you can bring them up to the exclusive areas for a tour after you have some fun."

"Ok, Esme," Bella said. She waved one last time, and then went across the room to the elevator.

Bella led us up the stairs to the second level and then up another stairway at the end of a hallway up to the third level. The view out over the living area was spectacular, and then we followed Bella down another hallway with widely spaced sets of doors. We stopped in front of a set of double doors, and then Bella pushed one of the doors open. We walked into what looked like a private suite of rooms. The room we entered was setup like a living room with a sofa and loveseat and some low tables. It was decorated in earth tones and desert hues, and there were a couple of cactus on the tables. There was a large wall unit entertainment center with a flat screen TV and a DVD player. A large potted saguaro cactus was standing next to the wall unit. It looked like there was a stereo system inside the glass doors of the cabinet. Along the wall to the right was a well stocked wet bar with a counter and three barstools in front. There were more rooms to the left.

I could tell Bella got mad when we walked in, and if she could blush I'm sure she would have been bright red. On the wall directly across from the door was a framed poster size print of Bella in her cheerleading uniform doing the routine where we jumped into the air. It looked like the night that we'd cheered for the first game of the season in Sequim.

Bella groaned, and then said, "Wait here," and she turned and walked down the short hallway to the left into the adjoining room. I heard her give an exasperated sigh, and it sounded like she was shuffling some things around, then she came back into the living room.

"Ok, Alice and I can change here. The bathroom and shower is through here off the bedroom," she said as she pointed behind herself into the room she'd just come from. "C'mon, Angela, Jessica, I'll show you where you can get dressed."

"Is this your room?" Jessica said with wide eyes, looking around, taking everything in.

"Kind of," Bella lied. "Esme and Rose keep these rooms setup for me for when I come to visit."

"Oh…" Jessica said as we walked into the adjoining bedroom and looked around.

This room was decorated in shades of blue. There was a royal blue velvet comforter on the queen-size bed. There was a matching bedroom set of dressers, a nightstand, and a large desk in the corner. Along one wall were several well stocked bookshelves and there was a comfortable looking overstuffed chair with a floor lamp and small table next to it where it looked like you could curl up with a good book. There was a walk-in closet on one side of the doorway, and the bathroom on the other.

Then Bella led them across the hallway and into another suite. "This is another guest room here across the hall. You guys can change in here. It'll go faster if we all don't have to share the same bathroom…" Bella left them to start getting ready. It sounded like they decided Jessica would get the shower first, and then Angela so Jessica could help her get ready. Bella and I walked back across the hall into her living room. I closed the door as they started to go through their bags and get ready for tonight.

Bella went to the bar and poured a drink when we walked back into her private living room. I looked back at Bella, and she held up the bottle to see if I wanted a drink. I shook my head no. Maybe later, but I needed to stay clear-headed for now.

"I noticed that my necklace is different from the ones that Rose brought for Angela and Jessica. Mine has a different background, and it doesn't have a red border. Would you care to explain the significance?"

"The red border on their necklaces is a signal to everyone here that they don't know what's going on, and they don't know our secrets. We'd like to keep it that way if we can. You obviously know what's going on, so we've decided to drop the pretenses, and just accept it."

"And the background…?"

"The red and silver is for the help, retainers and trusted servants. The gold and silver means that you're part of the family now, Alice."

"Oh…"

"You need to understand, Alice. Everyone here knows about your connection to Jasper. They know you're his mate, even though you two haven't talked about it yet. That's really just a formality. In my world, the connection that you share since you touched his hand that morning in the parking lot at school is more permanent and binding than marriage vows are in your world."

"Oh…"

"C'mon, Alice, are you honestly going to stand there and tell me you didn't see all of this?"

"No, it's just… It's still kind of a shock to actually hear you say it out loud like that. Damn it, Bella! You need to get things settled with Edward so Jasper and I can move on with our relationship! I need to be with him, but I know why he won't talk to me. He's under orders to take care of you, and if he spends time with me he'll be distracted from his duty!"

"I know, Alice… I'm so sorry… I'm just so scared about Edward. I want him, but then I don't know if he really wants me or if it's just this crazy mating thing…"

"Does it really matter, Bella? You know he's your soul mate. Just be honest with him… Trust yourself, and trust Edward."

"I'll try, Alice. First we need to get through tonight. Then I'm going to have a long talk with somebody about what they've done to my rooms! First that picture! And then that bed!"

"So, Bella, you know I've never actually seen you sleep."

"Yeah, so…?"

"So why do you have a queen-size bed in your bedroom?"

"I didn't the last time I was here…"

"Really? Why would your family move a bed into your room if you don't need it to sleep…?"

Bella raised an eyebrow and gave me a quizzical look. "Why do you think? I'm sure you can come up with more uses for a bed than just a good night's sleep. I think it's a less than subtle hint about what's going on with your brother, although, it could just be Emmett having fun at my expense… I'm going to have to talk to Emmett about that poster…" She looked at the cheerleading picture on the wall, and cringed and groaned again.

"I don't know… I kinda like it. It captures the real you," I said with a big grin.

"Alice…!" Bella glared at me. I just grinned back at her and shrugged.

Things settled down a bit after that and we took turns in the shower and got dressed for the evening. I finished up my hair and makeup while Bella waited. She was ready in a flash, and looked perfect with just a light touch of lipstick. I doubted that Jessica and Angela would be ready yet, but we went back across the hall to check on them. They were dressed, but Jessica was still working on Angela's hair, and still needed to finish getting herself ready to go. I took over for Jessica, and told her to get ready so we could leave. It wasn't too much longer and we were all dressed to kill and ready to hit the club. We looked young and trendy, but we didn't look like teenagers with our new clothes, hair and makeup. I didn't think we'd have any problem fitting in unless we got carded, and I doubted that would happen.

"Ok, Bella," I said. "Let's go. Take us in the front so the girls can get the full effect. Ok?"

"Sure, Alice, Leave your things up here, and we can grab everything before we head home," Bella told us as we left to head back down the stairs.

We crossed to the elevator, stepped in when the doors opened, and Bella pressed the button marked 'Lobby'. The doors opened onto a short hallway without doors. We walked around a corner to where the hallway opened onto a larger room, and there were two chromed metal stands with a velvet rope and sign blocking the way. Bella unhooked the velvet rope and then replaced it after we'd stepped through. I looked back, and the sign said 'Private – No Admittance'.

It looked like we were in the lobby of any normal office building with a reception desk and a small waiting room. We walked to the glass front entry of the lobby, and Bella pushed the door open and led us out onto the sidewalk. I could see a busy main street up ahead of us, and we walked that direction. We turned the corner into the bright lights and rush of the Seattle night, and I could see a crowd of people lining the sidewalk.

We passed a busy looking restaurant, and the signs advertised it as 'The Flying Dutchman Grill". There was a crowd of people waiting to get in, and I could smell fresh cooked seafood scents as we passed by the doors. It looked like Bella was holding her breath, and then we were past the restaurant. There was a larger crowd a little ways past the restaurant at another set of doors, and it looked like the line stretched down the block almost to the corner.

"Look at that line!" Jessica complained. "It'll take us hours to get in! Are you sure this is the club you wanted to go to?"

"Don't worry, Jess'," Bella said. "These are friends of mine. We'll get in." And she led us up to the head of the line.

I could hear the pounding beat of dance music through the doors, and it was loud even out on the street. The doors to the club were roped off, and there was a huge guy standing next to the doors inside the rope. He had his arms crossed on his chest as he glared at the line of people waiting to get in.

My first impression was that he looked a lot like Sam Uley, but Sam never dressed like this. The guy was huge! He towered over Bella, and must have been close to seven feet tall. He appeared to have long, rounded muscles, but he was wearing a black suit with no tie and the top couple of buttons undone on his dress shirt. He had copper skin, close cropped black hair, and I bet he had brown eyes, but he was wearing dark glasses. He had an earphone in his right ear with a small cord running behind his ear and into the collar of his jacket. He looked like he was about twenty-nine or thirty and had a stern expression on his face as he guarded the door.

"Hey, Josh," Bella said as she walked up to the guy guarding the door. "Good crowd tonight?"

"Hey, Bells'," The guy said as his face cracked into huge grin, "Long time, no see. Yeah, the place is packed tonight. So, you in town with your friends?" The big guy asked as he looked us over and smiled.

"Yeah, we were doing some shopping, and the girls wanted to see the club…"

"Rose mentioned you might be stopping by," and he reached down, opened the rope for us and opened the door so we could go in.

There was some grumbling in the line when he let us in ahead of the crowd that was waiting, and I thought I heard 'fucking Moreno bitches'. Josh turned to glare in the direction of the hecklers, and it got quiet fast.

"So is he here yet?" Bella asked as we stepped through the rope.

"The Major took a couple of boys to go meet his flight awhile ago. They should be back anytime. I hear he wants to talk to you," Josh said with an appraising look.

Bella just nodded with a worried look on her face as we went through the door, and said, "Thanks' Josh." The big guy closed the door behind us as we went into the club.

Inside the door was an entry way with a hostess desk at the entrance to the club where the regular patrons would need to show ID and pay a cover charge, but the hostess just smiled at us when we walked into the room.

"Hi, Bella," The girl said with a smile on her face. "Rose said you were coming tonight. Don't stay downstairs too long, unless your friends have IDs. Esme is expecting you upstairs, but she said to have fun." She looked over the rest of us and smiled, but her eyes got bigger when she looked at the necklaces we were wearing. Or maybe it was just the necklace that I was wearing? "Have fun tonight," she said giving Bella a knowing glance, and waved us through into the club.

The lights were turned down low or non-existent inside The Flying Dutchman Lounge, but there were colored lights flashing to the beat of the music. It looked like there was a laser light show going on to as beams of colored light would stab out in time to the music and cast patterns on the walls, ceilings, and sometimes the dancers. There was a dance floor in the center of the main room with a bar along the far wall and cocktail tables around the two sides under the overhangs. The club was split-level and two stories high that I could see. There were broad curved stairways on either side of the room that led up to the second level. I could see more tables along the railing around the open upper deck. The place had a faintly nautical theme going on in some of the décor and furnishings.

The place was packed, and the dance floor was crowded. Some of the crowd was dressed a little more casual than we were, but we fit in for the most part. So far everything seemed pretty normal, and I hadn't seen anything or anyone that seemed out of the ordinary, except for the big guy that let us in. Bella led us around to one of the stairways, and we went up onto the mezzanine level. Most of the tables were packed, and people were mingling around and gentling rocking to the beat as they chatted with friends. There was another bar up here on the upper level, and then I saw an empty table in front of the bar by the railing. It had a good view of the dance floor. I was surprised it wasn't taken, but then I saw the reserved sign sticking up in a little stand on the table.

Bella led us to the table, and picked up the reserved sign. We settled in and watched the dancing for a minute.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" Bella asked.

"What can we get here, Bella?" Jessica asked. "I just have my regular drivers' license with me, and don't you need to be at least eighteen to even sit in here? I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Don't worry, Jess'. Order whatever you like, and I'll take care of it. If there's any trouble, Andy back there at the bar will let me know, and no one will even know we were here."

"Ok, if you say so. I'll take a strawberry daiquiri, if that's ok?"

"Sure, no problem. Angela, Alice, How about you two?"

"Is that good, Jess'?" Angela asked. "I'll have one too, Bella. I've never really tried anything but beer, and I want to do something different."

"I'll just have a light beer for now, Thanks' Bella" I told her, and then Bella left to go back to the bar.

She came back with our drinks, and brought back a double shot for herself. We sat and chatted for a bit, taking in the sights, but Jessica really wanted to head downstairs to dance when she was about done with her drink. I could tell Angela did too but she was shy. Bella seemed nervous about splitting up the group, so she gave in and came with us. We all went down to the dance floor, and it was fun just dancing with the girls.

I'll admit, there were some cute guys there, but Bella and I had no interest in any of them. Jessica seemed to enjoy all the attention, and Angela was starting to come out of her shell a little bit. We danced through a couple of songs, when I noticed a new guy eyeing Jessica. I recognized him as one of the hecklers from the line outside, but now I got a good look at him, and I knew we were in for trouble.

He had straight black hair pulled back into a short ponytail, and appeared to be of Asian descent, but his skin looked a little odd. It had a slightly yellow cast but appeared to be very pale. His eyes were like Jasper's, but there was something different about them. His eyes were a darker gold. Not the darkness that seemed to indicate Bella or Jasper's mood or anger, but they were an orange hue shot through with flecks of red. He was wearing baggy jeans and an open dress shirt over a tight t-shirt printed with Asian script. He was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous with a kind of bad-boy magnetism.

He moved up behind Jessica on the dance floor, and she was a little startled when he started to dance with her. She looked back surprised when he started to grind against her. I was hoping she'd tell him off and tell him to get lost, but she looked dazzled by the attention, and turned around to dance with him. He hung around for a couple of songs, and smirked at Bella and me as we glared at him. I was hoping he'd take the hint and leave, but then he leaned in and whispered something in Jessica's ear.

I saw Bella stiffen, but then Jessica stepped back and shook her head no with an apprehensive look on her face. He said something else to her, but I couldn't hear it over the music. He was standing close to her, and her eyes seemed to glaze over a bit like she was caught up in his spell and dazzled by his looks and charm. He reached out and grabbed her arm to lead her off the dance floor. Then Bella was at his side, taking his hand off Jessica's arm. Jessica looked up confused, and shook her head like she hadn't realized what she was doing. She took another step back, and I put my arm around her and pulled her close to me and Angela.

"That's enough Liu!" Bella said, pushing his hand away and stepping between the Asian guy and the rest of us. "No means no, and Jessica is with us."

"You fucking Moreno bitches all stick together! Don't you? Well you aren't protected anymore. I got just as much right to be here as you do. I wasn't gonna hurt her. I just wanted a little taste."

"You're not welcome here, Liu. Now get the hell out before I call security!"

"I'll leave when I'm ready to. This place is a lot of fun. Maybe I should send James back over to play. He says you were a lot of fun, back in the day. Are any of your friends as sweet as you were?"

An open space had started to form around us as Bella argued with the Asian guy. Suddenly, a hand reached for Liu's shoulder and spun him around. He was startled, and looked ready to tell somebody off or start a fight, but his eyes got big and he looked scared now.

The hand belonged to a tall man with slightly curly black hair. He was muscular but looked lean and fit. His skin appeared to have a dusky pallor with a slight olive cast, and his face looked like he was of Hispanic descent with his strong chiseled jaw and high cheekbones. His eyes had the same orange hue shot through with flecks of red like the Asian guy. He was wearing a business suit, but it was slightly wrinkled as though he'd had it on for a while as he traveled.

There were two more guys flanking the tall Hispanic man, and they had the same pale skin and golden eyes like Jasper. They were both dressed in black suits like the guy out front had been, and stood ready to back up the tall Hispanic man if he needed the help.

"You're not causing trouble in my club, are you Billy? I've had a long day and my flight just got in. The last thing I need is to come home to you starting trouble. Bella asked you to leave. I think that's a good idea."

"Yes Sir, no problems here. I was just leaving…" He tried to edge past the three guys staring him down as he moved towards the door.

"And Billy, tell Fu Chang Hong to keep his boys out of my club if they're just going to cause trouble. Ok?"

"Sure, I'll make sure he knows." Then he made a bee line for the door and was gone.

The tall dark haired Hispanic man turned to look us over, and smiled as the two guys with him made sure the Asian guy left.

"Bella, take your friends upstairs now. Esme will look out for them, and then we need to talk. I had an interesting conversation with the Major on the way back from the airport."

"Ok, Esteban…" Bella said. She seemed nervous and started to lead us away off the dance floor toward the stairs.

"Bella, aren't you going to introduce us to our savior?" I asked when we were out of the crowd.

"Alice, this isn't a good time…" Bella said, but the Hispanic man looked at me with more interest when Bella said my name and walked back over to us.

"Wait, Bella, You friend is correct. Please excuse my rudeness, I am Esteban Moreno, and welcome to The Flying Dutchman."

"Ok… Esteban, I'd like you to meet Alice Cullen, Jessica Stanley, and Angela Webber."

"Yes, Alice Cullen, I've heard a lot about you," Esteban said, and I had a feeling he was looking at the necklace I was wearing. "And apparently you've heard a lot about us," and he looked at Bella again with disapproval plain on his face.

"Bella, go ahead and take Jessica and Angela on the tour," I said as I stepped next to Esteban and hooked my arm through his. "Esteban and I have some things to discuss. I'll see you upstairs." Then I looked up at Esteban. "We should go someplace more private to talk."

Esteban seemed intrigued, and started to lead me towards the bar. "Yes, this should prove most interesting. The Major spoke most highly of you. Come we will sit and discuss your future."

We walked behind the bar and through a doorway into a corridor. There was a store room on one side, and what looked like an employee break room and lounge on the other side. At the end of the hallway was another elevator, and the door opened when Esteban pressed the call button. We stepped inside, and then he used a key from his pocket on the control panel like Bella had done before. He turned the key, and pressed the button, and the car started to move up.

The doors opened onto an elegantly decorated hallway, with rich hardwood wainscoting, hand carved baseboards and a thickly carpeted floor. We moved down the hallway, and then Esteban opened an intricately carved heavy wooden door and led me into a large office. Dark wood bookshelves lined two walls of the room from floor to ceiling. There was an ornate hand carved desk in front of the middle of the wall opposite the door.

The wall behind the desk was decorated with several paintings, but one stood out over the desk. It was a nautical theme with a square-rigged Spanish Galleon fighting a sea battle with another sailing ship. The Galleon in the painting was flying Esteban's Jolly Rodger with the two crossed swords and the fist.

"Please have a seat, Alice," Esteban said, indicating one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. "Can I get you anything to drink?" He asked as he walked to the bar and poured himself a drink.

"No, thank you. Perhaps after we talk…" and then he came back to the desk and sat in the high backed leather chair behind the desk.

"I had a very interesting conversation on my way over here from the airport, Alice. To be honest, I didn't expect to see you here. I thought I'd be having a very difficult conversation with your friend, Bella. From the necklace that you're wearing, I can see that you're better informed than I had been led to believe. I know Bella is very young, but I didn't think she would break the very laws that I have given so many years to protect."

"Bella hasn't broken your laws. She has been most circumspect, and hasn't said anything to me or Edward that she isn't allowed to tell us. Actually, that's part of the problem and what I'd like to discuss with you."

"If Bella hasn't broken the rules and told you, then how do you know?"

"I have my ways. I figured most of it out on my own, but once I knew what to look for, the pieces all fell into place."

"Ok, just how much do you really know? I want to hear you say it. Out loud. And what do you mean, 'you have your ways'? What ways?"

"Right, let's get the big one out of the way first. You, Bella, Jasper, pretty much the whole family are vampires. You're Esteban Moreno, three hundred year old Spanish buccaneer, and head of the Moreno Organized Crime Family. You own all of the buildings on this city block, and the Flying Dutchman Lounge is you Seattle headquarters. You've been central to the power structure of this region for the last century, but something has happened recently to upset the balance of power. I haven't quite figured the details out yet..."

"Yes, you are very well informed, but you haven't explained how you have acquired this knowledge. You say that Bella hasn't told you, but she knows everything you've told me. If there is a leak in our security, it's my duty to stop it," Then Esteban was quiet for a minute as he contemplated something. "You have no fear of me Alice. You know that our laws forbid you from knowing our secrets on pain of death."

"I'm not the only human here that knows your secrets."

"They are bonded and registered with our authorities. We have ways of insuring their compliance with the rules"

"Yes, Omerta, the code of silence. I won't reveal your secrets. You're aware of the bond between Jasper and me. Eventually, I'll be one of you and join your family."

"There is more to it than simply Omerta, but I believe you. So you would join our Clan and follow me?"

I shrugged. "Jasper accepts you as his leader, and is sworn to your cause. I'm bonded to Jasper, and his fate is my fate. I will go where he goes. He will be my mate so if that means I join your Clan, then so be it."

Esteban nodded. "Yes, Jasper is sworn to me, and his fate and mine are intertwined. Now tell me how you know so much."

"I have a gift. I can see the future. It isn't always clear, and the future is constantly changing. It's subjective, and changes based on the decisions that people make. I've been watching this path unfold for a long time. Once I knew what to look for, like I said, the pieces all fell into place."

"So you're a fortune teller? That's a very powerful gift to manifest while you're still human. You will be very powerful indeed when Jasper has shared his immortality with you. You are human, correct?"

"Last time I checked," I pinched my arm. "Yeah, still human."

Esteban chuckled. "I am intrigued by this ability of yours. Can you read my future?"

"I can, but you have to understand. I see the path as it lies before us now. I don't control the future. Most people only want to hear good news, and don't want to hear the bad things. Also, the more I tell about a future event reduces its chance of happening. People make different decisions when they know what lies ahead, and it has an affect on how the path unfolds." I opened my purse, and took out the new deck of tarot cards that I had purchased at the market.

"I understand. You read the cards?"

"No, not in the sense that some people assign meaning to certain combinations of cards, and then interpret them like reading tea leaves or looking at the lines on your palm." I opened the deck and started to shuffle as I spoke. "The cards are a prop, a tool to allow me to focus my mind. I don't need them, but they make it easier to achieve the mind set I need to see the possible. They give me a degree of control. Otherwise I'd just see things in my dreams or random visions."

Esteban nodded and was silent as I worked the cards. I closed my eyes and let my awareness drift and expand to encompass the room. I shuffled and cut the deck, and shuffled again and spread a pattern with the cards on the desk in front of me. I opened my eyes, as my awareness danced at the edge of the room, and I was aware of Esteban sitting across from me. I gathered the cards, shuffled and cast another pattern as my awareness shifted and focused on Esteban. I could feel his aura and sense his strength of will. I saw his path and the decisions that would affect it.

I closed my eyes again as my awareness flowed out and looked at the possible and what might be and what would be as our lives became more tightly intertwined and my future moved along the same path as Jasper and Esteban. My hands moved with a will of their own as the cards came together and I shuffled and laid another pattern.

The room was silent, and I could feel then energy practically crackle through the room. Esteban was motionless as he watched me, and I knew he wasn't breathing. The air was still and he didn't move as she sat motionless as stone. And then I could feel him close his eyes to listen as I finally spoke.

"The Fu's will move against Port Angeles to put pressure on your Clan and test for weakness. They will use the docks to traffic in the white horse, the fruit of the purple flower. Fu Chang Hong will become bold and claim more and more territory when you return to Italy. The Italian will support their cause as their power grows."

My hands moved as I flipped the cards and they landed in front of me on the desk, drawn into the pattern as though they were connected to the desk by elastic and they snapped into position as I let them go. My eyes were open but I couldn't see, as my eyes rolled back in my head showing only the whites. I passed my hand over the desk, and felt the cards gather to me as they moved to my hand like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

"The Clans will war with each other, but there will be too many newborns in our ranks to stand against them all. The fury of the Italians will consume us if we do not flee the coming conflict. The Moreno's must abandon Seattle to the chaos. There will be a new Club in the windy city and a house in a sea of green where our skills will develop and our strength will grow."

I could feel the path before us as my hands moved, and the cards snapped back out into a new pattern. I could feel the energy of the possible crackle around me, and I could sense the charged atmosphere in the room. It was like I was suspended above us, as I watched my hands move, my body breathed, my lips move, I spoke words.

"The Moreno Clan will grow to become a force to be reckoned with as we draw strength from the heartland. You will have your revenge on Fu Chang Hong and return one day to reclaim all that is lost and more."

I started to pull my awareness back in and focused on my breathing as I closed my eyes and concentrated on centering myself. I gathered the cards one last time and left the deck on the table in front of me. I realized Esteban looked upset, and a low growl rumbled in his chest, but I knew he wasn't mad at me.

"Damn Aro and his meddling ways! I am Proconsul of the Pacific Northwest Province, and First Sword of the Volturi in Seattle. This region was mine until he recalled me to the Guard! I've spent the last hundred years building all of this, and now you tell me we're going to abandon it and just walk away?"

I shrugged. "I see what I see. Do with that knowledge what you will. If we stay in Seattle when the war starts, we'll all be lost. If we leave, we'll become stronger than we are today, while the other clans are weakened from all the in fighting and squabbling for territory. There will be a power vacuum if you pull out of Seattle, and the other clans will consume themselves in the maelstrom of destruction that follows."

"Yes, I can see where that would be an advantage…"

"Why did this Aro recall you to the Guard if you have been running this province for the last hundred years?"

"I thought you would have already known that. Aro is the leader of our kind. He wanted Bella when he learned of her. She has a powerful gift, but I refused to give her up."

"I was a member of the Volturi Guard for two hundred years until Aro released me to settle this province for him. Nobody ever truly leaves the Guard. It's more like being in the army reserve for life. I've put my time in with the Guard, but Bella hasn't. Aro claimed service from my Clan, hoping that I'd send Bella to him to serve. If I sent her, she would have been under his control for the next fifty years even though she'd still be part of my Clan in name and I'd get credit for her service. When I refused, he 'invited' me to return to Italy to serve with his personal household. You do not turn down Aro's invitation."

"Well you're here now, how long did you have to serve?"

"This is just a temporary leave, Alice, my vacation so to speak. I must return to Italy in two weeks. I have been away for almost five years except for short trips like this one. I will be required to serve for at least another five years unless something causes Aro to request my further assistance."

"Pardon me for being blunt, but why does it matter if you are in personal command of your forces here? Can't the core structure that you've established withstand your absence for a couple of years? Why is everything going to hell because you're in Italy instead of here?"

"Something you need to understand about our world is that it revolves around power. Personal power and the ability to take what you want and hold it make it yours. This is not a democracy like the humans have toyed with for the last couple of centuries. In our world, you have as much power and influence as you can take and hold onto. There is no force of law except that which we choose to enforce ourselves. Aro can name me his viceroy, and make me Proconsul, but it's meaningless unless I have the power to make it happen and enforce it. If I failed, he would simply name another to take my place, and if the situation got too far out of hand, then he would send the Guard to clean up the mess."

"As First Sword of the Volturi for this region, I have the right to call on the Guard to enforce my will, but this is a personal right. The Guard serves me because they honor who I am and what I represent. When I am gone, my Clan loses those resources. Jasper has no official standing with the Guard because of his past, although many of them honor his prowess in battle. Despite his best efforts, my Clan is just my personal household and simply another Clan squabbling for territory if I am not here to lead them.

"Now, on to more pressing matters, what are we going to do about your brother? I assume that's why you came to talk to me. Jasper tells me that he is in love with a human girl, and is resisting his connection to Bella. I have sacrificed much to see Bella trained and safe. I do not begrudge her finding her mate, but she must claim him, and bring him into the Clan. If he learns of our secret and refuses Bella he will be breaking our oldest and most important law. Jasper tells me Bella has exposed herself to save his life. Does he know as much about us as you?"

"I won't lie to you, Edward knows more than Bella or Jasper thinks he does, but he won't expose the secret. Edward will choose Bella, I'm almost certain of it, but they need more time to settle their relationship. They are both exceptionally stubborn people."

"What of the human girl? How much does she know?"

"Katy doesn't know anything. Edward hasn't shared any of this with her. That's part of what's driving him towards Bella."

"This is a very dangerous game that you're playing, Alice. If you guess wrong, I'll have to order his destruction, and Bella will die defending him. Why can't I just order Bella to claim him, or simply bring him here and force him to join the Clan?"

"That path leads to destruction. Edward must make his choice of his own free will. He will have a gift when he is changed, but if you force him, he will resent you and fight us. If he accepts Bella and joins us freely, they will be an unstoppable pair. One of them needs to make the first move. Bella wants Edward to accept her for who she is, and not simply because he's her mate, and Edward is waiting for Bella to trust him enough to tell him what she is."

"I don't know why, but something tells me to trust you. Alright, Alice, I'll do what you ask. I'll give them time but I won't wait forever."

Then Esteban leaned forward and pressed a button on his desk.

"_Yes, Esteban, what can I do for you?"_ The voice over the intercom sounded like Rose.

"Yes, Rosalie. Find Bella, and tell her to come up to my office. I need to talk to her."

"_She's right here, Esteban. She heard you and she's on her way up."_ Rose's voice spoke out of the speaker.

"Thank you, Rosalie."

A minute later there was a soft knock on the door, and then Esteban said, "Come in Bella" The door opened and she nervously stepped into the room. She looked back and forth between us apprehensively as she stood inside the door. "Come in dear, please have a seat. We've been discussing the situation with Edward."

"Alice tells me that you haven't claimed Edward yet, but you're waiting for him to tell you that he wants you first?"

"Yes, Esteban," Bella spoke softly while looking down at the floor.

"Alice tells me that you need more time, but she is convinced that Edward will not expose our secret. I will give you more time, if that is what you desire. Further more, you have permission to tell Edward about us," Bella looked up at Esteban with wide eyes, "but I am trusting you to guard our secret. You know the rules. He must promise to protect the secret or die if he learns the truth."

"Thank you, Esteban." Bella said with a happy grin on her face now.

"I will give you until all hallows eve to bring him before a truth sayer to take his oath. If he has not accepted you by the thirty-first of October, then you will claim him and make him yours. Do you understand, Bella?"

"Yes, Esteban, I understand. Thank you."

"Thank Alice, she has told me many things that I must consider. Now you two go down to the club and enjoy the rest of your evening. Oh, and Bella, I'll be setting up your testing. The Major tells me I will be impressed. Can you come back next Saturday evening?"

"Yes Sir, I'll see you next Saturday."

I got out of my chair and put the cards back in my purse. Bella got up, and I hooked my arm through hers as we turned toward the door and went out into the hall.

"Good night, Esteban," I said as we went out the door. "C'mon, Bella, let's go find Jessica and Angela. Hopefully they haven't gotten into anymore trouble yet. So are you going to show me the rest of the club now?"

"Sure, Alice, the private club is one floor down. It's a lot more fun than the public areas down at the street level. Rose was going to take the girls on a tour. Maybe we can catch up with them…"

Bella led me to the elevator again to go back down to the club. Well, I had bought them more time to try and get their shit together. Hopefully one of them would step up and move the relationship forward. Bella had Esteban's blessing now, but did she have the courage to actually talk to Edward? Would Edward finally pull his head out of his ass and see what everybody else already knew? I guess time would tell.


	10. Walking,talking and breathing

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Notes on specific changes relevant to this Alternate Universe are available at the end of this chapter.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 9 Walking, talking and breathing

EPOV (Edward)

I didn't know what to think anymore. I'd been expecting to see somebody from Bella's family at the cross country meet in Onalaska that Thursday after Bella and I had talked Wednesday night, but it was just like West Port. I didn't see any sign of them. The red BMW M3 was in the parking lot, but if I hadn't seen it I never would have had a clue to even think that they might be there.

That Friday, Bella and Alice left early to go to the football game in Onalaska, and I had to leave for Seaside before they even got back to Forks. I was worried sick all the way to Seaside about what was going to happen. Esme had told me that Esteban would be back that weekend, but I didn't really know when his flight would come in.

Assuming he was flying. Was there something I was missing? I still didn't have a lot of facts. Could he turn into a bat and fly back on his own? That was just crazy thinking. I had researched all the commercial flights coming into Seattle from Italy that were arriving that weekend. My best guess put him in Seattle sometime Saturday evening, but would they wait for him to show up and make a decision, or would they just grab me so I was waiting there for him when he got home?

I really wished that Bella and I would have had more time to talk things out, but it hadn't been in the cards that week. I managed to win my race. I wasn't going to let a little thing like my impending doom stop me from going out with a winning season. For all I knew, it might have been my last cross country race ever, and I gave it my all.

Nothing happened on Saturday at the meet, and I figured making something happen to a whole bus load of high school kids was a little too high profile for Bella's family, given the whole anonymity and blending in idea. I felt I was pretty safe as far as the bus ride home went. We got back to forks around six o'clock on Saturday evening, and I felt I was still pretty safe. The Volvo was still parked in the lot at the school, and I drove myself home when we got back to Forks high school.

I suppose saying that I was shocked when Carlisle told me Alice had gone shopping in Seattle with Bella, Jessica, and Angela was a bit of an understatement. Just what the hell did Alice think she was up to? Didn't she realize just how dangerous that kind of stunt was? She knew Esteban was supposed to come home this weekend. She'd been with me when we learned about the rival gangs vying for control of the streets of Seattle. She knew about the research that I'd been doing about the underlying power structure of the Seattle underworld. So she decides to go shopping there, and she took her girlfriends with her?

Somebody was having a serious break with reality, but at that point, I wasn't sure if it was me or Alice. I tried to call her, but she wouldn't answer my calls, and I kept getting her voice mail. I wanted to get in my car and go look for them, but I had no Idea where to find them. I'd just get myself into trouble if I started blindly driving around looking for them. The malls would be closed by the time I could get out there, and hopefully they'd be on their way home by then.

It was about nine thirty when I finally got a call, and the screen showed it was Alice's cell phone number. I flipped the phone open and answered the call.

"Alice, where the hell are you? Carlisle said you went shopping in Seattle? Don't you realize how dangerous that is? And you took Angela and Jessica with you? Are you insane?"

"_It's nice to here from you too, Edward. Now calm down and don't get your panties in a twist. Everything's fine. We're at Bella's family's place in Seattle right now, and we're getting ready to go to the Flying Dutchman Lounge tonight."_

"What! You are insane! That's Esteban's Club! What the hell are you thinking?"

"_I told you to calm down, Edward. I don't have much time. Bella's in the shower getting ready. Don't worry, I have this under control. Now quit trying to call me every couple of minutes. I'll call you back when I can, but it won't be for at least a couple of hours."_

"What are you going to do, Alice?"

"_I'm saving your ass. You can thank me later. Just try and take advantage of this, and work things out with Bella. Ok? I'm buying you some time to pull your head out of your ass, and finally make the right decision. I've got to go now. The shower just stopped." _The call ended, and the phone went dead in my hand.

Alice never did call me back, and I was a nervous wreck until Bella's red Dodge Charger pulled into the driveway at about three thirty in the morning. They hadn't bothered to take Jessica and Angela home, and all of them spent the rest of the night at our house again.

That was two weeks ago, and I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. The only difference now, was that everyone seemed to be mad at me. Katy was cycling between being pissed off at me for dragging my feet about our relationship and wanting to forgive and forget and get back together with me. I didn't want to breakup with Katy, but I couldn't be with her either. I didn't know what Alice had done in Seattle to get Bella's family to back off, but if this was all temporary then I'd be putting Katy in danger if I let our relationship go back to how we were before. Right now she was in the pissed off part of the cycle and it was getting old fast.

Alice seemed to be mad at me too, and she'd hardly speak to me. She wouldn't tell me what had happened in Seattle, and Angela and Jessica just raved about the shopping and how much fun they'd had at the nightclub. Jessica kept telling the story about how some hot guy had asked her if she wanted to get away and go someplace private but she'd turned him down.

I didn't think she was telling the whole story, but Alice and Bella wouldn't say anything about it. Angela finally gave me the full story, but then Jessica was pissed at me for prying into the details of her fantasy. At least now I knew that Alice had met and talked to Esteban, but that was all I knew. Alice kept blocking me and shut down whenever I questioned her about it. She seemed to be blaming me for her relationship issues with Jasper, but the only reason that I even knew he was supposed to be back was because Alice said so. I hadn't actually seen him since the accident, three weeks ago.

It seemed like the only one that wasn't pissed off at me was Bella. She just seemed mildly annoyed like she was exasperated that everything seemed to be the same and nothing had really changed. I'd told her that it would be easier for me to make a decision if I knew everything. We'd been anticipating Esteban coming back and something happening to force our hand, but nothing ever happened.

Bella had to know that I knew at least part of the story about what she was. I wanted her to explain the rest to me, but so far she wouldn't talk about it. I knew what she wanted from me, but now it was like a Mexican standoff as we each waited for the other to make the next move. We'd been waiting for two weeks, and so far nobody had budged an inch as life went on.

I'd gone to three more cross country meets, and won three more first place medals. There had been a meet in Montesano last Thursday on October first and another Saturday meet at Bearcat on October third. We'd finally hosted our only home cross country meet for this season in Forks this past Thursday on October eighth, and there'd been a pretty good turn out. Most of the kids in school and a lot of their parents had come to watch us run at Tillicum Park, and they cheered for us when Katy and I both won first place medals.

The football team had played their second home game on Friday, October second, and won again, redeeming themselves after their loss at Onalaska. They had played an away game in Toledo tonight, and Alice and Bella had gotten home at about two o'clock in the morning. Bella spent the night again, and Alice had told me she wasn't going to go running this morning.

I got up at 4AM on Saturday morning and pulled on some sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt to drive over to Katy's house for our run. She might be pissed off at me, but running was the one thing that we still did together. I went down the hall, and I could sense Bella in Alice's room from the tugging sensation in my stomach as I walked to the stairs. Alice's door was closed, and the house was quiet as I made my way through the darkened house to the kitchen.

I put on my running shoes and grabbed a couple of granola bars, a bottle of water, and went out to the garage. The tugging sensation in my stomach faded as I went out of the house, and was replaced by the familiar dull ache in my chest as I went outside. I got in the Volvo and drove to Katy's to meet her. Usually, Alice would go with me, but she had decided to sleep in this morning because Bella had stayed over last night.

I pulled into the driveway at Katy's house and parked. Michaela and Katy were waiting for me in the driveway, under the carport doing some stretches when I parked and got out of the car. I felt the dull ache in my chest fade and the tugging sensation in my stomach grow and intensify as I walked over to Katy. I could feel it pulling me towards the trees of the forest behind Katy's house, and I wondered again when Bella was going to have the courage to come out to me and tell me about herself.

"Good morning Edward," Michaela greeted me as Katy glared at me.

"'Morning, Katy, Michaela, ready to run?" I asked as I started in on some stretches and she just nodded but wouldn't speak to me.

"Yeah, finish stretching, and we're good to go," Michaela said when Katy wouldn't answer.

I ran through my stretching routine, and we left on our run. I remembered when it was just pleasant to spend time in each others company when I ran with Katy. We'd never spent a lot of time in conversation on our runs as we controlled our breathing and pushed ourselves harder than usual. The season was coming to a close, and the meet in Tenino next Thursday October fifteenth was the last regular season cross country meet before the district league meet. We all wanted to be ready to finish the season strong and be ready for districts.

It was a little distracting as I felt the sensations change in my body as we ran. The tugging sensation in my stomach would diminish as the ache in my chest would grow and I knew I was moving away from Bella. Sometimes the sensations would remain constant, normally when I knew she was nearby and pacing us. For the longest time I had been frustrated because I didn't know how she could be doing it, pacing us as we ran. I could feel the sensations in my body as we'd move away from her, but then almost miraculously, we'd be moving back toward her as we ran, and I knew she'd run ahead and was waiting for us to catch up.

We weren't casually running at a slow jog that might allow somebody to run ahead of us, or take some shortcut, but I knew how fast Bella could run now. Katy had come in third place in the 1A women's division at the State Cross Country finals last year, and I had won the State Championship. We were training for final couple of races in another winning season, and we weren't holding back. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it was possible for Bella to be running ahead of us, especially if she had to take an even longer route to avoid being seen.

We were getting close to Katy's house at the end of our run, and I tried to get her to talk to me again, "So, Katy what do you and Michaela have planed for today?"

We hadn't talked about doing anything this weekend, and I'd kind of been playing it by ear. This was the first weekend that we didn't have a cross country meet on Saturday in three weeks, and it might be fun to get the gang together to do something. The weather was still nice, even if it was October now.

"I was thinking about running out to La Push to go surfing. Are you two interested? Maybe we could get a group together and run out there."

"That sounds like fun, Edward, but I can't," Katy finally said, speaking to me for the first time this morning. "My mom wants to take me and Michaela shopping in Port Angeles today. With the Cross Country season finally winding down, this is the first free Saturday we've had for a couple of weeks."

"Well, have fun shopping," I said, a little relieved. At least I'd offered.

"She wants me to pick out something cute to wear to Home Coming next week, Edward."

"Oh…" We were back at Katy's house now, and Michaela walked over to the kitchen door and went inside to give us some privacy.

"Are we even going to Home Coming, Edward? You keep telling me that I'm still your girlfriend and that you still love me but it's been three weeks! You said you needed time to figure out what was going on with Bella. I've given you the time you wanted, but I have needs too, Edward! What do I tell my mom? Do I even need a dress?"

"I'll take you to Home Coming, Katy, if you still want me to. I'm sorry about how this must make you feel, but I still haven't figured everything out yet. I'm just so confused anymore… I don't understand all of this, but I don't want to hurt you."

"Why are you confused, Edward? It's really simple. Do you love me, or do you love Bella?"

"What if I love both of you?"

"Have you slept with her?" Katy asked looking down, but I could see the hurt in her expression and hear the pain in her voice.

"No Katy, I swear I'd never do that to you. As long as you're my girlfriend I've been faithful to you."

"Then you have to decide Edward. I'm not going to share you. It's either me or her, there's no middle ground here."

"That's why this is so hard. I know I have to make a commitment, but I have to understand why I'm attracted to Bella before I can make a commitment to either of you."

"That doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling when I hear you talk about how you're attracted to that bitch, Edward! If you want her then have her, but be honest with me and tell me where I stand! If I'm gonna lose you, just do it and quit dragging this out! I can't take this anymore, Edward. You're mine, and I want you, but it's like we're just drifting farther and farther apart."

I didn't want to be having this conversation right now, but I could see the tears in Katy's eyes as they started to roll down her cheeks. I could still feel Bella's presence in the trees, and I knew she could hear every word we said. I stepped in front of Katy and pulled her head to my shoulder and held her as she cried.

"I'm sorry, Katy, I don't want to hurt you. I'm so sorry…"

"I need a shower, and my parents are still sleeping," she said as she made an excuse to go inside.

"Will you call me when you get back from shopping?"

"Do you want me to go shopping, Edward?" Katy asked as the tears poured, and soaked my shirt, but she wrapped her arms around my waist and turned her face up to mine.

I leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "Go buy a dress. We'll talk tonight, ok?"

"Alright, I'll see you tonight, but I want answers. I don't want to hear about how confused you are and that you don't know what to do. I love you Edward, but I'm not going to let this go on any longer." And she stepped back and turned away from me as she moved to the kitchen door.

"Good bye, Katy, Call me…" And I got in my car and left for home.

The tugging sensation in my stomach diminished and the ache in my chest grew as I drove away from Katy's house. There was only one road out of the neighborhood, and only one route into my neighborhood as I crossed town. The route was shorter, if you could go straight across town between Katy's house and mine, I thought as I drove south down Forks Avenue and then turned northeast onto Calawah Way. Still, you could drive the route faster than a human would be able to run, even if you took shortcuts and tried to straighten out the path. There were obstacles in the way, and it was faster to drive, but then I wasn't Bella.

I got to the house, and Bella's Dodge Charger was still parked where it had been last night and this morning. I parked the Volvo, and went over to Bella's car and laid my hand on the hood. It was cold, and I knew the engine hadn't been started all night. I shook my head and went into the house.

The house was still dark and quiet, and I went to the stairs. I walked up the stairs and down the hall. I could feel the tug in my stomach as I got to the top of the stairs, and I stood in front of Alice's door. I knew Bella had been listening to Katy and I talk in her drive way, but what could I prove? I knocked on Alice's door.

I waited a minute, and then Alice opened the door, and I could see into the room. Alice was standing holding the door, and rubbing sleep from her eyes as she yawned and stretched. I could see Bella lying in Alice's bed on her side, with her back to me as she faced the wall. Her body moved with shallow rhythmic breaths as she obviously slept undisturbed by Alice getting up to answer the door.

"What do you want, Edward? I thought you were going to let us sleep in today? It's early," Alice complained

"I just wanted to see if you wanted any breakfast," I lied as I looked past Alice at Bella sleeping.

"Not now, it's too early. We'll get something later, ok? I'm going back to bed now, Edward," and Alice started to close the door.

I put my hand on the door. "Alice, are you sure Bella was here all night, she didn't get up this morning?"

"I think I would have noticed if she got up, Edward. She's been here all night. Why, what's going on?"

"It's nothing. I thought I saw someone that looked like Bella when we were running this morning." I lied. "Tell Bella I need to talk to her when she wakes up. Go back to bed Alice, I'll see you later," and I turned to go get my things to shower. Alice just stared at me for a minute, and then closed the door.

I collected my things, and went down the hall to shower. The hot shower felt good and I thought about the morning. So what if I was in love with both girls? As much as it was a lot of guys fantasy to maybe keep both of them, I knew that wasn't going to happen. They'd both told me that now, and I knew I had to make a choice. I shaved, and brushed my teeth, and then went back down the hall to my room.

I could feel the tug in my stomach as I stepped into my room and closed the door. The scent of freesia and strawberries drifted across the room, and I saw Bella sitting in the rocking chair by my window in the shadows next to my bed.

"Good morning, Edward," Bella greeted me with the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Good morning," I replied automatically, and then I felt my face get hot as I realized I was standing by the door in nothing but a towel wrapped around me as I stood there holding my shaving kit. "Does Alice know you're in here, Bella?" I asked.

"No, she went back to sleep after you were done talking to her. You said you wanted to talk, so I thought I'd come see what you wanted."

"Umm, Bella, I need to get dressed…"

"Would you like me to turn my head?" she said with a grin.

I sighed. "Please, if you don't mind."

"Not a problem, Edward," and she turned her head to stare at my reflection in the window glass, and grinned at me.

"Bella…" I said, a little exasperated, but I grinned too.

"Ok, ok, I'll close my eyes," and she did.

I got my boxers out of my dresser, dropped my towel and pulled them on. I was fairly certain that she peeked from the sharp intake of breathe I heard when my towel hit the floor, but I wasn't overly modest, and I'd warned her. I pulled on a t-shirt and grabbed my socks, and went to sit on the bed next to her chair.

I felt the attraction ratchet up several notches stronger, and the flare of raw desire that I felt when we were close together as I sat on the bed next to her chair, but I held it together, and tried not to let my emotions show.

"So, to what do I owe this honor, I mean, I'm awake and everything…"

"Bella shrugged, you told Alice you wanted to talk to me. Well here I am."

"Are you ready to talk to me?"

"Maybe I am. You told me before that you wanted to be my friend. I want to be friends with you too, Edward, if you still want that. I just thought that since Katy is going shopping with her mom, maybe we could do something today…"

"How do you know Katy is going shopping with her mother?" I asked, wondering if she'd tell me the truth.

"Oh, women's intuition, girls talk, you'd be surprised how much you don't know."

"Hmm, women's intuition, or better than average hearing? You might be surprised about how much I do know. So what did you have in mind then? I was thinking about going to the beach in La Push today. Do you surf?"

"No, I'm not a beach kind of girl. I like the forest though. Maybe we could go for picnic? Or you could introduce me to the rest of your friends…"

"The rest of my friends?"

"Out at the airport, you seem to spend a lot of time out there, when you're not with Katy. You told me before that you'd hook me up with your connection."

"They're the same friends I hang out with in La Push, but they'll probably be there today if you'd like to meet them."

"Oh…"

"They're a pretty rough crowd sometimes, if you'd rather not. I'll understand."

"I can handle a rough crowd, trust me."

"Okay, sounds like a plan. Do you think Alice would like to go with us?"

"She said she has to work on decorations with the Home Coming committee today with Jessica, Angela and Lauren. I figured if I told her I was going to go exploring with you, she'd let me off the hook."

"Hehe, Yeah that was fast thinking. So would you like to go for a ride on my Harley then?"

"Let's not push this friendship thing too much. I don't think I'm ready for that yet, but I have an Idea. I'm going to go home and change, and when you're ready, go ahead and ride your Harley over to the Dahlke's and meet me, ok?"

"Ok, Bella sounds like fun."

She stood up in a fluid motion and moved across the room to the door. "I'll leave a note for Alice, so she can sleep in. Come over whenever you're ready. I'll be ready to go," and she went out the door.

God, did I just make a date to go out with Bella Swan? She said we were just friends, but I didn't go out with the other girls I was friends with. I was pretty sure Katy wouldn't like this, and she'd take it the wrong way, but I had to find out more about Bella. I wanted her to tell me the truth, and explain what was going on between us. After a couple of minutes, I heard Bella's Charger startup and drive away.

I didn't want to hurt Katy, but I needed to know more about Bella. I was pretty sure I could pull this off, and it wasn't like I was planning to cheat on Katy or do anything with Bella. I hurried and got dressed, and then I got my cell phone, and texted Jacob.

"gonna b at the shop?" I put the phone in my pocket and pulled on my boots. It vibrated after a couple of minutes, and I took it out and looked at it.

"L8r Y?" Jacob texted back.

"bringing a friend, cya L8r, txt me" I replied.

"biznez?" Jacob sent.

"ya," no reason not to mix business with pleasure. Besides, Bella said she wanted to meet my connection. I was pretty sure she wanted to make a buy.

"k, cya," Jacob replied, and I put the phone back in my pocket.

I needed to pick up some smoke for personal use, and Carlisle had some clients I needed to cover. I went to the closet and opened my safe. I dipped into my cash reserves, but I knew I'd get it back. I didn't charge much of a markup to Carlisle's clients because I wasn't in this to make money as a dealer, but it was enough to cover my personal stash, and allow me to be generous with my friends.

Hmm, now that was an angle I understood. I supplied a lot of the kids at school that didn't have the balls to deal directly with Sam's crew from La Push. They could go to the source at cost, or if they were pussies, they could pay me a handling fee, and I'd make the deal for them. I knew about Bella's family. Maybe Bella was looking to cut out the middleman and go to the source, but she was new in town, and wanted me to vouch for her. It was a good theory; I'd wait and see how it panned out.

I shrugged into my leather jacket and grabbed my helmet and went out to the garage. Alice's door was still closed, and the house was still relatively dark and quiet. It was only about seven in the morning now, but Bella had said to come over whenever I was ready, and she'd be waiting. I pushed the Harley down off the center stand and stepped across the seat. I kicked the engine to life and pulled out of the garage and used my remote to close the garage door as I pulled down the driveway and onto Riviera Drive.

It was a short ride over to the Dahlke's, as I rode down Merchant Drive and turned left on Calawah Way. I pulled into the driveway and rode back to park next to Bella's red Dodge Charger in front of the garage. I leaned the Harley on the stand, took off my helmet and stepped off the bike. I set the helmet on the gas tank bump and walked back to the front of the house to knock on the door.

I was about to knock again, when the door opened, and Marilyn Dahlke appeared in the doorway. She was wearing a powder blue satin night gown and matching robe that was hanging half open and slightly askew. I could smell the liquor on her breathe as she said good morning and held onto the door for support. I could tell she was drunk but she looked scared shitless, like she was ready to bolt out the door and go raving down the street.

"Good morning, Mrs. Dahlke, I'm Edward Cullen, I'm here to see Bella."

"You're here to see Bella?" her eye's got big as she stared at me, "Oh you poor boy, I'm so sorry…"

"Marilyn, go back to your room now," Bella said as she came up behind Mrs. Dahlke, and took her by the arm to turn her towards the hallway. She flinched away from Bella's touch as though she'd been stung, and she cringed away from Bella. She looked back at me for a second with sad eyes, and then fled down the hall, and I heard a door slam shut.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Edward. Marilyn has been going through a tough time. C'mon in, we can go this way," and she stepped back so I could walk into the house.

"Ok, Bella. Mrs. Dahlke looked scared of you," I said as I walked into the living room, and then I had to do a double take as I took in Bella's outfit. She had taken my breathe away and given me an instant hard on when I'd seen her in her mini-skirt that night at the drive-in. This morning she was having a similar effect, but in a different way as she strutted across the living room like a totally badass sex kitten in leather and boots.

She was wearing motorcycle boots with chrome buckles up the sides, tight black leather motorcycle pants, with a thin dark blue accent stripe up the sides, and a fitted black leather motorcycle jacket. The jacket was decorated with embroidered patches with designs, and looked like it had a large patch with gang colors across the back, just like the Jacket Jasper had been wearing that night.

There was a patch on the left shoulder that had the crest with the two crossed swords the fist and the three shamrocks, and lettering in a cursive script that said, "Familia Moreno Imperecedero". I'd looked it up; it meant "Moreno Family Immortal". On the right shoulder there was a another patch with the gold and silver background, but it had a fist holding a sword pointing up in the middle, and script that said "Moreno Guardia Familia Especial", Moreno Family Special Guards.

The colors on the back had the same design of the crest that I'd seen both Bella and Jasper wear, but there were stylized ribbons or banners across the top and bottom. There was a motto or slogan embroidered onto them in flowing script. It said "Morir Joven" across the top and "Vivir Para Siempre" across the bottom. "Die Young and Live Forever".

She had a medium sized black leather purse on a long shoulder strap under her right arm, with the strap around her neck on the left, so the strap crossed her chest and she didn't need her hands to hold it or worry about losing it.

"Marilyn's a little delusional these days. She's scared of a lot of things," Bella said as I followed her through the house and into the kitchen.

She went to the refrigerator and took out an insulated nylon lunch bag and handed it to me. "I hope you like ham, it's all we had. You should have room for this in your saddle bags."

I looked inside the bag, and there were a couple of sandwiches, an apple and a bottle of water.

"Is this your lunch?" I asked, confused. "I didn't bring anything, but I can stop and pick something up."

"No, I fixed that for you, Edward. I'm on a…special diet… I'll eat later after we get back if I'm hungry," Bella said as she quickly turned away. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

I shrugged and followed Bella out the kitchen door. I was used to strange things around Bella Swan, and there were a lot of unanswered questions. Add another check mark for the list, she doesn't eat. Or should I say I'd never seen her eat anything. There was still the question of the deer carcass I'd found in the forest. I had a pretty good Idea what she did eat. I just hoped I wasn't on the menu. Of course none of this seemed to stop her from drinking. She drank like a fish, according to Alice, and I'd seen it myself on enough occasions to believe it, but nobody had ever seen her drunk either. Was that another check mark for the list?

I wondered what she had in mind for today. She had already told me that she didn't think it was a good idea to ride with me on my Harley. I had to agree, if we were going to keep this friendly and strictly platonic, but was that what I wanted? Maybe I was ready to kick it up a notch and do something more than just be friends, but I wasn't going to cheat on Katy. I'd end that relationship, before I started a new one. At least that's what I kept telling myself.

I was wondering if we would go in her Charger, and she had simply had me ride over so Alice could have the Volvo today, but no, she'd asked me to store the lunch in my saddle bag, so I would be riding my Harley. I stopped beside my bike and put the lunch in the saddlebag.

Bella reached into her pocket and took out a remote and pressed the button, the garage door opened and she walked inside. She was lost in shadow for a second, but my eyes adjusted, and she was standing next to a motorcycle. I saw Jasper's bike off to the side, but Bella was standing next to a royal blue Ducati 999S Superbike with dual seats. The family crest with the crossed swords, the fist and three shamrocks was painted on the side cover next to a black swan in a seated position like it was gliding across a smooth lake of blue, with Bella painted below it in cursive script.

The bike looked almost too big for her, and for a second I wondered if she'd be able to handle it, but then I thought about the parking lot at the high school three weeks a go and I knew better. She pushed it up like it was feather light and pulled it off the center stand with ease. She wheeled the big bike out of the garage next to my Harley, and leaned it against the stand.

"Do you have a Bluetooth headset for your cell phone, Edward?" Bella asked, and I nodded yes. "Good, let me see your phone."

I handed it to her, and she added a number to my contacts.

"Can I add my number to your phone, Bella?" I asked.

"Alice already did. She added your number when she put hers in. I have a Bluetooth headset built into my helmet, so you can call me while we're riding if it's too noisy to talk, or we get separated."

Bella pulled on a pair of skintight black leather riding gloves. She reached for the matching full face helmet clipped to the side of the bike, and then used the remote to close the garage.

"C'mon, let's get out of here. You lead, and I'll follow you, ok?"

"Anyplace special you'd like to go?" I asked

"Let's just cruise for a while. Your friends at the airport probably won't be there until later. We can visit them after lunch. There a pretty spot up by Ozette Lake I found, but show me where you like to go, Edward."

"Ozette Lake is cool, lots of quiet private roads up that way," and I stepped onto the Harley and kicked the engine to life.

Bella pulled on her helmet and adjusted the strap. She got on the big bike and thumbed the electric start for the motor. The big liquid cooled engine purred to life, and the electronic digital instrument package flashed as the readouts ran through their startup and diagnostic routine, but the electronic tachometer, speedometer and engine diagnostic readouts were warmed up and ready to go in seconds.

I pulled left out of the drive way onto Calawah Way and headed west into Forks. The road jogged southwest at the intersection with Merchant Avenue, by the old cemetery, and finally we turned right onto Highway 101, North Forks Avenue to follow the highway out of town. We were almost to the edge of town when I heard a car horn honking. There were no cars on the road and I looked around to see where it came from.

I turned my head as we cruised by, and Katy's mom's car was parked next to the gas pump in the Shell gas station on the edge of town. Katy was standing next to the car by the gas pump, and she waved at me as I rode by, and her mom was sitting in the driver seat of the car waving out the window. Well, at least Bella wasn't on the back of my bike hugging my waist or sitting in the passenger seat of my car.

I waved at them as we rode by, and my heart was in my throat as I registered the neutral expression on Katy's face. I was going to have a lot of explaining to do when she got home tonight. She wouldn't necessarily recognize that it was Bella Swan, but it was pretty hard to mistake the fact that it was a girl on the big blue motorcycle, the way her leather pants and jacket hugged her form and the long brown hair streaming out behind her helmet.

If I was alone, I probably would have stopped to say hi, but under the circumstances, I kept going and accelerated away from Forks as soon as we crossed the city limits on the bridge over the Quillayute River. We rode up Highway 101, and I went past La Push Road, but I slowed down and turned left onto Sitkum-Solduc Rd, about a thousand yards past the turn off onto Highway 110. Sitkum-Solduc Rd paralleled La Push Road to about where I would have turned onto Quillayute Road if I was going to the airport. We followed the road to the right and it turned into a well maintained paved private logging road that passed north of the airport and lead to several roads the wound northeast into the interior of the forest and eventually wound their way north and east to Ozette Lake.

I felt my cell phone vibrate with an incoming call as we rode. I didn't bother to take it out and look, but reached up and pressed the button on the side of my ear piece to answer the call.

"_You took off in an awful hurry back there when we passed the gas station. Is Katy going to be mad at you?"_

I breathed a sigh of relief; it was Bella calling, and not Katy wanting to know what the hell I was doing. "Yeah, probably," I answered her.

"_We can head back if you want. I don't want to do anything to upset either of you…"_

"No, Bella, I want to spend the day with you."

"_Did you really mean what you told Katy this morning?"_

"What did I tell Katy, Bella?

"_That you're in love with both of us…"_

"I knew you were listening. It was true then. It's still true now."

"_But you're taking her to Home Coming."_

"I'm out here with you now…"

"_What, so she's the one you take out in public, and I'm the one you sneak around with? I don't think so Edward. Katy told you she doesn't share and neither do I!"_

"That's not what I want. That's why I wanted to talk to you. We all know I need to make a decision. I'd like to get to know you better Bella. I want you to be honest with me."

"_Ok, we'll talk. We're almost there. I need to think about this Edward,"_ and the call clicked off."

We cruised for a while along the forested roads enjoying the crisp clean morning air through the sea of green that surrounded us. Bella pretty much let me lead, but a couple of times she'd pull ahead and picked the route at an intersection. It was fun and peaceful riding with Bella as the morning passed into day. I could see the sun trying to peek through the clouds, and occasionally a ray of sunshine would find a rare break in the trees.

Eventually, we came to a stop at the end of a deserted road. Bella stopped, shut off her engine, and got off her bike. She leaned it against the stand, and pulled off her helmet.

"C'mon, Edward, I want to show you something if the weather cooperates. Bring your lunch," Bella told me.

I parked the Harley next to Bella's Ducati. I took off my helmet and set it on the gas tank, and took off my mirror shades and slid them into my pocket.

"We might get lucky with the weather. It looked like the sun was trying to come out for a while back there," I said as I walked over to where Bella was standing at the side of the road.

"I'm the girl that likes overcast, remember?" Bella reminded me. "The sun isn't my friend. I was hoping the cloud cover would hold when I hoped I'd get lucky with the weather."

"You told me that before. That the sun isn't kind to you," I reminded her, "So just how much sun is too much?"

"I just don't like direct bright sunlight. I'm fine with the overcast and rain. C'mon, follow me, and try to keep up. I don't want to have to go home alone and send a search party to look for you." She left the side of the road and made her way north into the trees. There was no trail through the dense forest, and I had to stay relatively close to avoid loosing her.

"Jeez, Bella, how far are we going?" I asked.

"Oh, it's not much further," she said.

"Looks like a really good place to hide the body," I joked.

Bella turned and looked at me with a very serious expression. "Yes, it is," she said seriously with a completely straight face.

I felt the color drain out of my face, and a chill ran down my spine.

"God, Edward, you should see the look on your face!" Bella burst into laughter, and I relaxed.

"Jeez, do you think I'm some kind of serial killer or something? You're definitely too gorgeous to kill… Oh god, I said that out loud, didn't I," and she turned back around and quickened her pace.

We'd really only gone about a thousand yards through the forest, but the road where we'd parked our motorcycles was completely invisible behind us through the forest. I really hoped Bella knew the way, because it would be really easy to get turned around in here and wander in the wrong direction for hours before you crossed another road.

The trees started to thin in front of us, and suddenly we stepped out into a beautiful little meadow. It was almost circular and a couple of hundred yards across. I imagined that this meadow would be spectacular in the spring time when the wildflowers were blooming. It was the second Saturday in October now, but the weather was holding relatively warm. It was still in the lower sixties during the day, but the weather stayed pretty constant throughout most of the year. It would get colder during the winter, but it stayed above freezing most of the time and brief snow showers were a rare occurrence. Rain was another matter entirely. The constant mist and rain kept everything green even though it was late in the season. The meadow was covered in a carpet of tall green grass, with the occasional random sunbeam dazzling on a patch here and there at seeming random.

Bella led me around the edge of the meadow to some fallen trees that made a set of natural benches where we could sit in the shade. I could here water running, and I saw there was another larger meadow through a narrow band of trees. A stream ran through the larger meadow, and it looked like it formed a large clear pool of water, before the stream flowed out into the surrounding trees.

I sat on one of the fallen logs, and Bella sat down on another log, a friendly distance away. She was close enough to easily carry on a conversation, but far enough away that the attraction and desire wasn't overwhelming. I got out the lunch that Bella had made me, and ate as we talked.

"It's nice out here," I commented after we were settled. "I don't suppose you've changed your mind, and you're ready to tell me more about yourself and your family?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure yet, why don't you tell me about yourself?" Bella replied.

"I have a better Idea, let's take turns. Ok? You can ask me something about me, and I'll answer your questions, but then I get to ask you a question, alright?"

"As long as you realize that there are some questions I'm not supposed to answer, I agree in principle," Bella told me.

"Ok, I'll accept that. So, do you have a middle name, Bella?"

"I thought you said that I could ask you a question? That would imply that I go first, but that's an easy one. It's Marie."

"Isabella Marie Swan, I like it, you have a beautiful name Bella," I said with a smile.

"Thank you, but I prefer just Bella. So, Edward, Alice told me that you were both adopted, what was your name before your parents adopted you?"

"Carlisle adopted me after he married my mother. My family name was Masen, I was born Edward Anthony Masen. Now it's officially Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, but I only use Masen in my name on official documents and legal papers."

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, I like it, Edward. It fit's you, it's strong and slightly complex, but it has something that's hidden below the surface that the casual observer might miss."

"Thank you, Bella. Why did you move to Seattle from Phoenix?" Her eyes darkened, and I could tell the question was painful to her.

"My mother sent me to live with my father, but I'd prefer not to discuss them, Edward. Can I ask you about your family, or would you prefer to avoid the subject altogether?"

"I have no secrets, Bella, but if you ask something I find painful, I'll let you know, ok?

"Ok, Edward, you said your mother married Carlisle and he adopted you, what happened to your father?"

"My Father was Edward Sr., although I've never been called junior, it didn't seem appropriate, because he was gone. My father came from a wealthy family, and after he finished law school he wanted to give something back to society. He was working as a public defender in Chicago. He was at the office late preparing cases, defending his clients, when he was attacked by a mugger and robbed on his way home. My mother told me that he tried to talk the guy out of it and offered to get him help, but he was shot in the attack, and died later that night in the hospital. I don't really remember him. I was two years old when he was killed."

"I'm sorry, Edward…"

"It's ok, it happened a long time ago, and Carlisle is the only father I've known. Let me see, no questions about your parents… Alright, let's give this a try. You look like you're seventeen? What year were you born?"

"Oh god, maybe I should have let you ask about my parents! My birthday was last month on September thirteenth. My driver's license says I'm seventeen. Ok, Edward?"

"I didn't ask you when your birthday was, or how old your driver's license says you are. I asked what year you were born. I won't say anything, Bella."

"Edward… I'm not supposed to…"

"Don't you trust me at all? Even with something a simple as this? How can we move forward if we can't even trust each other?"

"1984. I was born in 1984, Edward, alright?" Bella said quietly, so soft I almost couldn't hear her as she looked down at the ground.

"Bella, look at me," and she slowly raised her head and looked into my eyes and I smiled at her. "Thank you, Bella. Now that wasn't so hard, was it? I'm still right here, and I'm not going anywhere, ok? Twenty-two isn't the end of the world. Now why don't you ask your question?"

"I suppose I might as well get this out of the way now, Edward," Bella said as the smile returned and spread on her face. "When is your birthday?"

"I turned seventeen on June twentieth, this summer past. Hmm, let me see. Ok, let's push the envelope a little bit. Two weeks ago, we were worried that Esteban was going to do something to me to take away my choices, but Alice went to Seattle and talked to him. What changed? Why hasn't anyone carried through on the threats that Esme made when she talked to me at the cross country meet in Rainier?

"Isn't that two questions?" She asked as the smile faded from her face.

"I don't think so, and you have to give me an answer before you get to ask me a question," I teased.

"Alice asked Esteban to give us more time to work out our relationship issues."

"How much more time?" I asked.

"Hey! Not fair, buddy. It's my turn," Bella said with a grin when she saw that I wasn't upset about her answer.

"Ok, you're right, I'll restrain my curiosity. What would you like to know?"

"That's better. So, Edward, what do you want to do with your life? Do you have plans for what you want to do after you graduate?"

"Isn't that two questions?" I asked her with a grin, asking her own question back to her.

"I don't think so, besides, you said you have to give me an answer before you get to ask me another question," she teased back.

"Alright, what do I want to do with my life? When I was little, I wanted to be a soldier, but I was caught up in the adventure and drama that Hollywood romanticizes about conflict and war. When I got older and realized how much suffering there is in the world, I changed my mind. I suppose I've kind of had a loose plan to go to college, and then law school to be a lawyer like my father and carry on what he started. Maybe make a difference in the world. Right now, I know graduation isn't that far away, but I haven't made any solid plans yet. I thought maybe I'd travel, go to Europe for a year or something. Broaden my horizons, and then come back to go to school."

"Hmm, maybe we aren't so different after all, Edward. Adventure, drama, travel, being a soldier… I could help you with all of those things, and I want to go to college someday too…" Bella mused as she considered my answer.

"Ok, it's my turn now. You said Alice talked Esteban into giving us more time, How much more time? And what were the conditions?

"We have until the end of the month," Bella said, looking down at the ground again. "I have permission to tell you our secrets as long as I either claim you as my mate, or take you to a truth sayer to give your oath before Halloween. There are people that know our secrets, Edward, and are allowed to live relatively normal lives. These people have given their oath not to reveal our secrets, but it's not completely free from danger. If you choose to go to the truth sayer, they will know if you lie, and your life is forfeit if they sense that your oath is false."

"So you can tell me everything now, as long as I promise not to reveal your secrets?"

"Yes, but personally, I prefer the other option." She seemed to contemplate something, and then asked her next question.

"So, travel, college, law school, probably a career. Where does Katy fit into this picture? Have you two made any plans?"

I squirmed a little inside, and considered playing the painful subject card, but I needed to face this question. What were my plans for Katy, and how did she fit into my future? I loved Katy, and I thought I was committed to her, but a lot had changed since the start of school this year. Bella was a part of my life now, and nothing was a simple as it had been before I met her. I was still a seventeen year old boy, and I had trouble realistically planning a couple of months down the road, let alone trying to plan how my life was supposed to play out.

"Honestly? I don't know. I love Katy," and I saw Bella wince in pain, "but I don't know how she fits into my future plans. I'm sure her mother would be overjoyed if I gave her a ring, and we were picking out china patterns." Bella turned away, and I heard her breathe catch in her throat.

"Katy and I have never talked about our future together. We've always just lived in the moment, and everything just seemed to happen so naturally, from the day we met. I'm sorry if this hurts you Bella, but it's that best I can offer. I don't really know how Katy fits into the big picture of my life."

"Thank you for being honest Edward. Do you have a question for me?" She asked to change the subject.

"I have a lot of questions for you Bella, but maybe I can make this a little easier for you. You said you can tell me your secrets as long as I promise not to reveal them. I assume you mean that I'm not allowed to expose what you are to the world. I already know what you are Bella and a lot of your families secrets. I'm not going to tell anyone that would hurt you or your family. I'm really just curious about the details and the little things that only you can tell me."

"You haven't asked me a question yet, Edward."

"Ok, you told me that we share a connection and it's permanent. It can't be broken, and it's for life. So far all of this has been about my relationship with Katy, and how you don't want to come between us. What about you, Bella? What do you want? Is this all just part of this thing that's drawing us together? Do you love me, Bella? Or is this all just the magic?"

"I don't think I can separate my feeling out from the connection that we share. It's a part of what I am and who I am, but I'd like to think that I'd still love you even if this wasn't a part of what I am. So yes, Edward I love you, and I think it's more than just some crazy magic. At first it was the bond that drew me to you, but the more time that we've spent together, the more I've become interested in the person you are, I find myself charmed by your intellect, your keen sense of humor, and your overall captivating personality. I'd like to think that your trust in me plays a part. You have no fear of me, but that could just be the magic again. You know, you're just absolutely adorable when you sleep, so peaceful and tranquil… I just want to reach out and touch your face, but I've restrained myself. That isn't my decision to make. I think we'd really be good together, Edward, if that is what you choose."

"Thank you for being honest with me, Bella."

So it's my turn again, I guess," Bella said.

"Yes it is. Fire away."

"Ok. You said Katy's mom would be overjoyed if you two ended up together. So is that what you really want out of life, Edward, a normal life? College, a family, a career and a nine to five job in an office somewhere? Two point four kids, a white picket fence and dinner on Sunday with the in-laws? Or are you looking for more? Do you still want that extraordinary life with adventure, drama and travel?"

"So are those my choices then? A normal life with Katy or an extraordinary life with… somebody else?"

"You have to give an answer before you get to ask a question, Edward."

"I'm just asking for clarification so I understand the question."

"Alright then, yes. Which would you choose if those were your choices?

"Both of them appeal to me. At this point in my life I'm inclined to want the extraordinary life, because I am after all, a seventeen year old boy. Adventure, drama and travel appeal to my desire for excitement in my life, but from a practical standpoint, I know my desires will probably change as I mature. Someday I'll probably want the two point four kids and the white picket fence, too. Why does it have to be an all or nothing decision? Why couldn't I have a normal life with… somebody else, someday?"

"Because some of us don't have the option to have a normal life anymore, Edward," Bella said, and I could here the sorrow and pain in her voice.

"What do you mean, what aren't you saying, Bella?"

"Isn't it my turn to ask a question now?" she asked trying to change the subject, but I wasn't going to have it, I wanted answers.

"Just tell me, Bella, Please? Stop avoiding the issue and just say what you mean."

"I can't have children, Edward. But I can offer an extraordinary life, if that was your choice. It is an all or nothing decision."

She turned away and looked down and hid her face from me. I could see her shoulders shake with emotion, and I heard a soft sob, then she sat up straighter, and seemed to steel herself, as she turned toward me and looked at me through the curtain of her hair.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Edward, I don't have any right to even talk about this with you. You've made it clear that Katy is your girlfriend, and we're only friends."

"But you'd like us to be more than friends" I was a statement, not a question.

"I'm not going to lie to you Edward. I know how you feel now, and I can offer you so much more than Katy. I want you to choose me. I love you Edward, and I want us to be together. There I said it. I'm sorry for Katy, but I don't want to give you up… I can't lose you anymore than she can. Would you be very angry with me if something happened to her…?"

I was sitting there, trying to think of something to say to her, when I felt my phone vibrate. I took it out of my pocket, and looked at the text message.

"My friends are at the airport if you're ready to go meet them," I said, and Bella nodded and turned to head back to the motorcycles. I quickly texted a reply to Jacob, telling him we were about an hour away but were still coming, and I put my phone away.

I knew I had to say something, I couldn't let it end like this between us, and I turned to her as she made to move past me. I reached out and grabbed Bella's wrist and turned her to look at me. I felt her stiffen and try to flinch away but I held on and wouldn't let her go. I was sure she could have broken out of my grasp if she wanted to, but she stopped to hear me out.

I felt the connection between us flare up, but it wasn't the thousand-fold increase like Alice had described. I could feel a tingling in my fingers and the palm of my hand as I gripped the sleeve of Bella's motorcycle Jacket. I guess it had to be skin on skin contact to take the bond to the next level.

"Wait, Bella. I haven't planned out my life, and I don't know what I want yet. I know I love Katy, but I can't say what the future holds. I've known that you had feelings for me since the first day of school. I know that I love you too now. Please don't do anything to hurt Katy while I sort this out. Ok?"

She looked at my hand on her arm with longing. Then she raised her head to look into my eyes as she raised her leather gloved hand and gently caressed the back of my hand.

"You can't keep stringing us both along like this, Edward. Katy and I both deserve better than that. Please don't think I'm weak if I accept what you're willing to give me. I'll take what I can get for now, but you've got to make a decision soon Edward, we can't go on like this. I won't be held responsible for my actions if you don't end this and decide what you want."

I could see the pain in her eyes as she stepped back and put some distance between us. "C'mon, let's go meet your friends," and she turned and started to head across the meadow, back toward the motorcycles.

I was startled as she abruptly turned and practically fled from the place where we'd had our conversation. Bella was halfway across the meadow as I started after her to follow. Suddenly, the clouds parted and beams of sunlight speared down into the grass creating islands of glowing light as we made our way across the tiny sea of grass. Bella's back was to me as the clouds parted and the sunlight caught her as she crossed the meadow. I heard her gasp, and she half turned to look at me as she quickened her step toward the forest.

Bella was covered in her leather riding outfit from her toes to her chin, and she'd never taken off her gloves, but she was breathtakingly beautiful as the sunlight caught her. Her long straight brown hair glistened in the light, and I could pick out red highlights as she moved away from me. She glanced back at me and her cheek practically glowed in the light. Her face had a radiance that seemed to sparkle as though her skin was sprinkled with diamond dust, and for an instant I wondered if she was wearing glitter make up like some of the girls wore when they went to night clubs and parties. I hadn't noticed any make up when we were talking. Then the moment passed, and she moved out of the light and into the trees at the edge of the meadow.

I didn't have time to dwell on our conversation as I struggled to keep up with Bella as we moved through the broken terrain of the forest beyond the meadow. I knew I'd be hard pressed to find this place on my own, if I tried to come back here without her, and hurried to try and keep up. Sooner than I expected, we came to the road and we were beside the bikes.

Bella grabbed her helmet and pulled it back on, and I saw her finally relax and the tension go out of her shoulder blades when she was fastening the strap, like she was relieved to be covered again. She thumbed the electric start and the big liquid cooled engine rumbled to life, and I could feel the power vibrate through the air as I stepped onto the Harley and adjusted my helmet and pulled on my mirror shades. She turned her head to look over at me, and I kicked the Harley to life, and nodded at her.

Bella got the big bike turned around, and I followed her back down the deserted road. We had to back track most of the way we'd come earlier this morning, as we'd ridden up toward Ozette Lake. It took us about forty minutes as we rode southeast until we were just north of Quillayute State Airport.

I led the way now, and turned right onto Mina Smith Road and followed it south until we came to the intersection with Quillayute Road. The trees cleared when we were about halfway to Quillayute Road, and we could see the runways. We turned right towards the airport, and I led the way as we cruised over to the line of abandoned looking warehouses.

We pulled up in front of Sam's shop, and parked the bikes. The rollup door was closed, and the place looked deserted, but I could see a light through the row of grimy windows high on the wall below the roof.

Bella pulled off her helmet, and I saw her tense up as she took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose like she smelled something bad. She got off the bike and clipped her helmet behind the seat as she scanned the front of the warehouse with a wary look in her eyes. She pulled the zipper of her jacket halfway down, and she rolled her shoulder blades as though she was trying to loosen the tension and prepare for action.

She was still scanning the front of the warehouse as she stepped over closer to me. I took off my helmet and set it on the gas tank. I took off my shades and slid them into my pocket and got off the Harley.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, Edward. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Bella told me as she watched the building.

"Don't worry, Sam's crew is cool. I just need to introduce you, and it'll be alright," I reassured her.

"Shit, Sam Uley?" she asked. "Shit, they've got to know we're here already… Ok, let's do this, but if anything happens, follow my lead and do exactly what I tell you, ok?"

"Ok… Bella, nothings going to happen. I've been doing business with Sam for over a year. Just let me do the talking, ok?"

"Right, but if the shit hits the fan, do what I say, alright?" Bella persisted as I walked to the entry door next to the big rollup door.

"Ok, but I know these guys…" and I reached for the door knob and pushed the door open.

I took a few steps into the shop. Jacob was standing next to a pallet of parts in the middle of the floor holding a clip board, checking items off a list. Paul was working on a car back past Jacob closer to the office, and Jared was working on another car, off to the right in front of the office. I didn't see Quil or Embry around anywhere, but it was Saturday, and they'd probably had plans.

"Hey Edward," Jacob said turning towards me as I walked in. "Where's your friend that you said you were bringing."

I turned to look, but Bella hadn't followed me in. "Hey, Bella, C'mon, it'll be ok," I called out the door.

Bella walked in, and Jacob looked her up and down as his eyes got big. "Nice. Katy is so gonna cut your balls off Edward!"

Then everything happened at once. I heard Paul and Jared swear, and a rapid fire string of profanity filled the air. I looked up, and Paul was pulling an assault rifle out from behind the car he'd been working on.

I heard a metallic clicking next to me and turned to see Jared pulling back the cocking lever on his assault rifle as he raised it to his shoulder.

My head snapped around as a staccato burst of gunfire ripped out of Paul's AK-47, and chunks of concrete flew off the floor behind where Bella had been standing seconds before.

Bella dove forward towards Jacob, and tackled him as she rolled, pulling him in front of her. She ended in a crouch halfway behind a pallet of engine parts, holding Jacob in front of her as a shield by the wrists with her left hand. She was holding a big stainless steel pistol under Jacobs chin in her right hand. Jacob's eyes were big as he stared at us, but he couldn't move or speak with the muzzle of the gun jammed under his jaw.

"Shit! shit, everyone fucking calm down! What the fuck is going on," I yelled.

Paul and Jared were both covering Bella, but they didn't have a clear shot while she held Jacob.

"Edward! GET OUT!" Bella yelled at me. "You, and you, fucking lose the AK's, or the chew toy here gets a new squeaky hole."

Sam came walking out of the office then. He looked fucking pissed, and was practically shaking, but he held it together.

"What the fuck, Edward? You running with the Moreno's now? You walk in here with your petite blanc copine pute _(little white slut girlfriend)_, and you think it's going to be business as usual? Douce Mère de Dieu, vous êtes fou? _(Sweet mother of god, are you crazy?)_"

"Sam, I swear, I don't know what you're talking about! Bella is cool! She goes to Forks High School! She's a fucking cheerleader for gods' sake!"

"Edward, are you fucking blind? She's a goddamned…"

"Sam!" Bella yelled, interrupting him. "You're Sam Uley, right? Edward doesn't know anything! You're still bound by the treaty!"

"Yeah, alright. I won't say anything if you don't. So what the fuck are you here for? I'm independent. I don't pay protection to anyone, and I don't give special treatment to any of the families."

"Like we said just business. This is Moreno turf, but I'm not here to shake you down. Now why don't you tell the pups to lose the hardware, and we can talk."

"Why don't you let my boy there go, as a show of good faith, and then we'll talk."

"Edward, is he lying to me?"

"No, Sam is a man of his word. Let Jacob go, and this'll be ok."

Bella pulled the gun out from under Jacob's chin, and pushed him away. Jacob stumbled, and then scrambled out of the way. Bella eyed Sam, but he motioned to Paul and Jared, and they lowered their assault riffles. She stood all the way up, and put the gun in her hand back into the holster under her left armpit.

"C'mon, let's talk," and Sam turned and walked to the office. I started to follow them, but Sam turned back, and held up his hand. "No, not you, Edward, Blanca here and I have things to discuss. Maybe we'll talk when I'm done. Paul, check on Jacob."

Sam went into the office, and Bella followed him in, and closed the door behind her. Paul came walking over, and he had the AK-47 slung across his back on the strap, with the point down, so he could pull it up under his arm in a hurry.

"You've got some seriously fucked up taste in girls, Edward," Paul said, as he came over to check on Jacob. "I'd keep boning that Katy chick, if you know what's good for you. Blanca here is bad news."

"What the fuck is going on, Paul," Jacob said.

Then Paul grabbed his head to look at the bruise under his chin where the muzzle of the pistol had been held.

"I can't tell you, Jacob, but look at it this way. Either you'll know by thanksgiving, or it won't fucking matter," Paul told him.

Jared came over to join us, but he was watching the office, and had his head cocked to one side like he was listening to something. He turned to look at Paul, and his eyes got big, and then they both looked at me.

"Jesus, can they do that?" he said to Paul.

"I guess so, you heard what I heard," Paul told him, and they both stared at me. I'd seen that look before, and I didn't like it. It was the look the nurses had given my mom, after the doctors told her she had cancer, and had six months to live.

"What the fuck, guys', what did you hear? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, but then Sam's office door opened.

"Edward, let's talk," Sam said, calling me over. I looked back at Paul and Jared, but they just stared at me and Jacob seemed as confused as I was.

I walked over to Sam's office and opened the door and went in. There was a palpable sense of tension in the air, but Sam and Bella both acted like they were calm.

Sam sat at his desk, and small tremors would ripple through him every couple of seconds, like he was pissed off and shaking with anger, but his face was a mask of calm. He was holding a bottle of beer in his hand, but I was surprised the brown glass hadn't shattered, he gripped it so tight.

Bella was sitting in the corner of the office, with her chair pushed back away from the desk as far as it would go, until the legs hit the walls. She was trying to look nonchalant, like everything was normal and ok again, but I could tell she was tense and ready to spring at a moments notice as she sat and smoked her cigarette.

Sam indicated the other chair in front of his desk, and I sat down. "Drink?" Sam asked as he held up a cheap bottle of Wal-Mart Canadian whiskey, and I nodded my head. He set another shot glass on the table. He glanced at Bella, and she nodded her head. He poured, and then sat back and gave me the same dead man walking stare that Paul and Jared had on their faces out in the shop.

I picked up the shot and tossed it back, and set the glass back down. Bella half rose out of her seat as she leaned forward to take the shot glass, but then she sat back down and cradled the shot glass in her hand as she ran her finger around the rim.

"Ok, Edward, here's how it's gotta be now." Sam started. "You might not wear their colors yet, but you belong to the Moreno's now," and Sam glared at Bella for a second. She shrugged, and drank her whiskey, but held onto the glass as she sat and took a drag off her cigarette.

"Anyone that knows them will know it if they find you, so I can't treat you special anymore." Sam continued. "I've been giving you the La Push prices, because you were local and had a low profile. You're main stream now, whether you like it or not, and you're running with the big boys… or girls," he glanced at Bella but she just gave him a sweet smile showing her teeth, and Sam shuddered again.

I nodded, I didn't want to argue with Sam, and I could tell he was already cutting me a good deal of slack even talking to me.

"Ok, Sam. What does that do to me?" I asked. "What's the bottom line?"

Sam smiled. "Always business with you Edward, I'm gonna miss you," and Bella gave a low growl from her corner. Sam glared at her for a second, and then looked back at me. "Ok, Edward, good news, I'll still do business with you, as long as you keep it quiet. Bad news for you, that's an across the board 20% price increase over what I've been charging you. Good news for your new girlfriend here, though. That's probably a 30% price cut from what they pay in Seattle."

"Do I still get a volume discount?"

"Yeah, Edward, but it's different now. 5%, on bricks or bigger, if we gotta break it up, then is full price."

Shit. I didn't bring enough cash. I used to get a volume discount on a quarter pound, but now I was going to have to buy a full kilo to get the price break.

"I only needed a half pound, but I'll take the brick if you'll front it to me until I can come back with the rest of the cash. I wasn't expecting this."

"Edward, I know we've got a history, mon ami, but I don't know when the next time I'll see walking, talking and breathing will be since you hooked up with Snow White here." Sam told me, and glanced over at Bella. "She's a fucking Moreno man! I shouldn't even have you in my shop!"

"Get him a brick," Bella said. "I'll cover what he's light. How much do you need Edward?" I looked at her, but she was opening her purse.

"Five large and change," I said. Bella took out a thick stack of cash, counted it, and handed it to me.

Sam reached down behind his desk and picked up a package wrapped in cardboard and sealed with duct tape. He set it on the desk and looked over at me and raised an eyebrow.

I took out my wallet and got out the cash I'd brought with me, adding it to the stack Bella gave me. I counted out the money, and handed a stack to Sam. "Here, keep the change," and he counted the money and made it disappear. I put the rest of the bills in my wallet and put it away. I'd settle up with Bella later, but I owed her six thousand dollars now, and it made me uncomfortable.

"I always knew you were a smart boy, Edward. Good with numbers," Then he turned to Bella. "Can I talk to Edward in private for a minute?" He asked.

"No, anything you can say to him, you can say to me," She smiled, but it wasn't a friendly gesture as she showed her teeth. He nodded and turned back to me.

"You packing, Edward?" Sam asked me, and I shook my head no. He pulled open his desk drawer, and took out a heavy looking black automatic pistol in a nylon holster with a belt clip, and a box of bullets, and laid them on top of the brick. "Start. I like you walking, talking and breathing. It's a good look on you. Consider this a late birthday present. I hope you have another one."

"If you need any pointers, come down to La Push, and Jacob or one of the boys will show you what you need to know. For now, just remember, magnum loads only, no pop guns, or they'll laugh at you," and he nodded toward Bella. "Everything you read is going to tell you to aim at the center of mass, for the best chance to hit. Forget it. Go for the head shot. Through the eye, the roof of the mouth, or the spine, and you might have a chance. Don't try to negotiate or talk. If you think you're in trouble, shoot first ask questions later. Good luck Edward."

Sam was done, so I stood up and picked up the pistol, stuck it in the back of my pants with the belt clip, and I could feel the weight pressing into the small of my back. I stuck the box of bullets in my jacket pocket and zipped it shut. I picked up the brick off the desk, and looked over at Bella. She got up, and set the shot glass down on the desk. Then she reached down next to her chair, and picked up another package wrapped in cardboard and sealed with duct tape.

I turned and walked out the door into the shop, and Paul, Jared, and Jacob were gathered together behind the car Jared had been working on. Paul and Jared were holding their assault rifles at the ready as they watched us walk across the shop to the door. Paul called across the shop to me before we went out the door.

"Edward, call ahead next time, and tell us if you're coming alone or bringing your girlfriend with you. Make sure we know it's you before you come through the door. Ok man? Don't want you to have an accident, dude."

I nodded and went out the door. I turned to look at Bella, but she just walked to her bike.

"What the fuck just happened in there…" I started, but she held up her hand.

"Not here. Let's get the hell out of here, and then we'll talk." She took a nylon bag out of her purse, and used it to cover the brick she'd bought, pulling the drawstring tight, and then used bungee cords to tie it down on the back of her bike. She got on the bike and pulled on her helmet. She thumbed the electric start to fire up the engine, and then looked over at me.

I stuffed the brick in the saddle bag on my bike, and it just fit in. I put on my helmet and shades, and kicked the bike to life, and followed Bella away from the warehouse. We didn't go far, and she pulled off the road into some abandoned shops on the northeast corner of the airport about two miles away.

She parked, took off her helmet, and got off the bike. I parked next to her, took off my helmet and got off my bike.

"Ok, now do you want to explain just what the fuck is going on? Why did you lie to Sam about the treaty? How the hell am I supposed to explain a 20% price increase to my customers?" I asked.

"Sam doesn't need to know how much you know. It would have gone worse if he thought you knew more. Next time he'll assume you know everything. Besides, you just told me know, you didn't say what you know. As far as the price increase, it's the cost of doing business, if they don't like it; tell them to buy from someone else. You're still the cheapest around, even with a 20% markup. Now, let me see it," and she held out her hand.

"What…"

"The piece Sam gave you, let me see it," she told me.

I reached into the small of my back, and took out the pistol, and handed it to her. She took the pistol and looked it over. She ejected the clip, jacked the slide, and caught the cartridge that flipped out of the ejection port, and looked it over, then snapped it back onto the top of the clip. She slid the clip back in, and jacked the slide to re-chamber the round, and looked up at me.

"Do you know how to use this?" She asked.

"Just the basics, but I've never got up close and personal with the real deal."

"Ok, crash course," and she nodded her head. "Sam's got good taste in guns. This is a Glock 20, chambered for 10MM ammo. There's a couple of different loads available. The FBI loads used by law enforcement organizations have a lower recoil, and are equal to about a 45 ACP. These rounds are the full power loads, and are equal to a .41 Magnum. More kick, harder to control, but more stopping power."

"There's no user operable external safety, so there's no levers or buttons to worry about or slow you down in a firefight. Just point, aim, shoot." She held up the gun so I could see the trigger. "See this little lever built into the trigger? That disengages the safeties when you squeeze the trigger. They claim it's safe to carry this gun with a round in the chamber, because you're supposed to be able to drop it from 2 meters onto a steel plate and it can't fire, unless you squeeze the trigger." She handed the gun back to me, butt first. I looked it over.

"It's got a fifteen round capacity. Fourteen in the clip, and one in the pipe. Never put your finger on the trigger unless you're ready to squeeze it and shoot. Never point it at anyone or anything that you don't intend to shoot. Never point it at another person, unless you're prepared to pull the trigger and send them to hell. No horse play, this is a dangerous weapon, not a toy, got it?"

I nodded my head and then carefully put it back into the holster in the back of my pants and pulled my t-shirt and jacket over it.

"Ok, talk to Jasper, and he'll run you through pistol marksmanship 101, or you can go talk to the guys in La Push, if you don't trust us."

"How do I get a hold of Jasper? He didn't come back to school, but I know Alice claims he's nearby."

"Just step outside, out of sight of your house and say his name, or give him a call. His number is in you cell phone now."

"Bella, you aren't denying the fact that you think it's a good idea that I'm carrying a pistol. Sam seemed to think that I needed it to protect myself from you. Why the hell are you carrying a pistol? What did Sam mean; I belong to the Moreno's now?"

"I had to tell him about the bond, and that you're my mate. It was the only reason that I knew he'd accept for why we were together, and why you were safe with me."

"The FBI and a lot of law enforcement organizations would probably tell you that the Moreno Family is an organized crime family, and connected to a lot of underworld criminal organizations and activities. They wouldn't be wrong, it's more complicated than that, but we do have a lot of dangerous rivals. They'd use you to hurt us if they knew you existed."

"As far as the pistol is concerned, it's a good Idea. My world is dangerous, and my family has a lot of enemies. You should be safe in Forks. Carry it if you go to Port Angeles, and be ready to use it. Everything on this side of the sound is technically Moreno turf, but some of the other families are trying to squeeze us out. Don't go to Seattle unless you're with me or Jasper, or we call ahead to make arrangements."

"Remember that extraordinary life with adventure, drama and travel we talked about? This was a taste. If you want to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes, I can make that happen, but it has to be your choice, and you're running out of time Edward."

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I took it out to look at the text message, as I mulled over what Bella had said.

"Katy's on her way home from Port Angeles. I need to go back to Forks, to change and go talk to her. When do you want to meet to settle up?"

"I have to run to Seattle now, to drop this off but I'll be back in forks this evening. I'll come to the drive-in tonight, or I could come by your house if you'd like?"

"Ok, I'll probably be at the drive in tonight," I told her. "We'll do it then, ok?"

She nodded, and I got back onto the Harley and got ready to leave. Bella pulled her helmet back on, and got on her bike, and we left the airport. We rode together as we back tracked out to Highway 101, and I waved as Bella turned north to head up the 101 towards Port Angeles and then Seattle beyond. I sat and watched stunned for a minute as Bella wound out the big Ducati as she shrank in the distance, and I could tell she would make the trip a lot faster than 3 hours each way.

I turned south and headed back into Forks. I thought about driving past Katy's house to see if she was back yet, but I thought I better get my latest buy stashed, so I could start to break it up at my leisure, and get rid of the pistol I had stuck in the back of my pants. Then I glanced at the gas gauge on the instrument package on the handle bars, and decided I better make a stop after all. I pulled into the shell station at the edge of town, filled up the tank, and then I wheeled the Harley around the side of the building to park it while I was inside.

I'd heard more than one story about somebody's bike that got hit, because another driver wasn't paying attention and ran into the unattended bike left at the gas pump. I always moved the Harley before I went inside to pay. There was a line at the check stand, before I finally got to the cashier and paid for my gas. By that time, I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable as I waited, and decided to use the men's room. It had been a long day and I hadn't had an opportunity since I left the house this morning to answer natures call.

I was finally ready to get back on the road, and I cruised home like nothing was out of the ordinary, as I rode down North Forks Avenue, and turned up Calawah Way. I made the turn onto Merchant Road and the short ride onto Riviera Drive. I pulled into the driveway, and I was surprised to see Katy's mom's car parked in our driveway. I rode the Harley into the Garage, and the Volvo was there, but Carlisle's Lexus was gone. I parked the Harley, and got off to go into the house.

I debated with myself, whether or not I should take the brick in with me now. I didn't want to leave it in the garage. it represented a rather substantial investment. On the other hand, Katy probably wouldn't mind too much, but if her mom was inside with her, I could have some trouble explaining it.

Caution won out, and I got it out of the saddle bag, and took it with me as I walked to the side door into the kitchen. Katy was sitting at the kitchen table, and Alice was sitting next to her, with her arm around her shoulders.

Katy looked up at me as I came in the door, and her eyes were red and puffy, and I could tell she'd been crying, but she looked pissed off when she saw me come through the door.

"Where the hell have you been all day Edward!" Katy yelled at me. Uh oh, this didn't sound good.

"I went out to see Jacob at the airport, I had to take care of some business," That wasn't a lie. I was holding the evidence in my hand.

"From eight in the morning until now? You never spend more than an hour at the airport when you go to see Jacob! Who were you with Edward?" Katy yelled at me again.

"C'mon upstairs, I'm not going to stand here in the middle of my kitchen while you scream at me. Let's go up to my room, and we can discuss this." Then I turned to my sister. "Alice, we need to talk business later. There have been some developments."

Alice nodded ok as she looked at Katy and me with sad eyes. I started to walk to the stairs, and looked back. Katy was still sitting there glaring at me. "Well, are you coming? Or do you want to wait until I come back down?" I asked.

"Fine," Katy said, and got up, practically knocking the chair over, and stormed up the stairs behind me. We went into my room, and I closed the door.

"Ok, Edward! Who were you with today! And don't lie to me!" Katy yelled as she stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed on her chest.

"I was with a business associate. You've never wanted to get involved in my business dealings before. You know how it works, it's an all or nothing deal. Either you know everything or nothing. That's how its gotta be, Katy."

I was putting my things away as I talked. I put the brick in the closet, and took the box of bullets out of my jacket pocket and put them in my top dresser drawer. I took off my helmet and set it on my desk, took off my jacket and hung it on the back of the chair at my desk.

"That's bullshit, Edward, and I'm not buying it. You were with a girl today, and you weren't working on business all day long. I saw you together this morning, when you rode past the Shell station with her. I might have brushed it off as a coincidence, but she waved to me as she rode by!"

"People wave, Katy! You waved at me. Maybe she thought you were waving to her, and waved back."

"Don't try and play it off like you don't know who she is! The girl on the blue motorcycle, with the long brown hair? Are you going to tell me who she is, Edward?"

"Why don't you tell me who it was, Katy? You seem to be building up to it, like you're waiting for me to lie to you, so you can throw it in my face. Just come out and say what you're going to say."

"Fine! You were with Bella Swan today! I wondered all day long, who it was that we saw this morning. I knew you were going somewhere with her, because you hurried out of town, and didn't stop to say hi when we saw you!" Katy was crying again, as the tears streamed down her face.

"I figured it out this afternoon, when we were coming home. There was some traffic where everyone slows down for the speed trap at the curve by Lake Pleasant. I saw her again as we passed her, and I saw the black swan with her name, 'Bella' painted on the side of the motorcycle."

"I see how you look at her all the time, Edward, when you think I'm not looking. God you fucking get hard looking at her, when you're holding me! Are you fooling around with her, Edward? Are you cheating on me, and running around behind my back? Are you fucking her, Edward? Just tell me the truth, damn it!"

"No! Damn it! We had this conversation this morning Katy, I'm not cheating on you. I swear I've never even touched her. She wouldn't even shake my hand when I met her!"

"She just wanted me to introduce her to Jacob and Sam's crew. We just hung out and talked until they were at the shop, and we could go meet to them. It's business Damn It! And I shouldn't even be telling you this much, if you weren't so damn jealous of her!"

Katy seemed to deflate a little bit, and she looked down. I could hear the sob rack through her as she cried. Katy always knew when I was telling her the truth, and I hadn't told her any lies.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Katy whispered, and I went to her, and held her while she cried. "I'm just so afraid I'm going to lose you, Edward. I love you, and I feel like we're drifting apart, and it scares me."

She pressed herself up against, looking for comfort from her pain. I felt her arms go around my waist, and I held her head against my chest as her tears soaked into my shirt. I felt her hands ghost around my body, and then her finger found the bulge in the back of my pants under my shirt. They explored the shape for a minute, and then Katy took a step back and looked up at me, her eyes wide.

"Edward, what do you have under your shirt?" Katy asked.

I reached back and pulled the holstered pistol out of the waist band of my pants and held it up so Katy could see it. Then I turned and put it in the top drawer of my dresser with the bullets.

"You're carrying a gun?" Katy asked.

"It's business Katy. Some of the people I deal with are dangerous. A friend of mine thought it would be a good idea."

"I don't want to be part of a world where you have to carry a gun to run your business, Edward! I thought you wanted to go to college, and be a lawyer like your father? This scares me, Edward. It's like Sam's crew and this business of yours just keeps sucking you in deeper and deeper!"

"I'm going to go to college, and I'll probably be a lawyer someday, but this is a part of who I am too, Katy. It's part of the package. Just because I run one kind of business doesn't mean that's the only career I'll ever have. I understand that you don't want to be part of that world, but I am. I'll keep you out of if you like, but don't ask me about it if you don't want to know, ok?

Katy just stood and stared at me like I was somebody she didn't know, and I could see her shaking now, as the conflict warred inside of her. Part of her wanted me, to come to me and hold me tight and keep me close. Another part of her wanted to go screaming out of the room and get away from me, and I could see which part was winning as she backed away and edged towards the door.

"I have to go now, Edward," Katy said as she fumbled for the door handle. "I love you, Edward, but this scares me. I can't be a part of this… I need to think," and she stepped out the door and I heard her dash down the hall to leave.

I thought about what Bella and I had talked about today. Just what did I want out of life? A normal life? College, a family, a career with a nine to five job? Two point four kids, a white picket fence and dinner on Sunday with the in-laws? Or did I want more? Did I crave the adrenaline rush that came as part of the extraordinary life of adventure and drama?

I knew I wanted to travel, but Katy had never been further than the State finals before I took her to Paris this last summer, and she had clung to me the entire time. She wouldn't have left the hotel if I hadn't made her see some of the sights.

I didn't want to have to make a choice, but it was clear to me that there were different girls for different worlds. Which world did I want to be a part of? Katy was the world I knew, the normal everyday mundane world. Bella was the world of myth and adventure that was opening up before me and drawing me into its mysteries.

Bella was right when she told me I couldn't keep toying with their emotions. It was cruel even if it was unintentional on my part. I had to resolve this conflict and make a decision, but no matter which way I decided somebody was going to get hurt. Bella had told me I had until Halloween, but I didn't think the situation would last that long before something had to give. Next Saturday night was the Home Coming Dance. I wondered if I'd last that long?

**Author's Note: Alternate Universe Changes**

**Sparkly vampires and the sun:**

Vampires do not burn in direct sunlight, but it is not healthy for them. They don't burst into flames or smoke, but exposure to direct sunlight causes damage to the vampires skin. Healthy, well fed vampires regenerate fast enough to heal the damage from the sun, and are able to be out in daylight. How long they can last in full direct sunlight depends on how well fed they are and how much skin is exposed to the sunlight.

The sparkle effect is a result of the surface of the vampire's skin reacting to the sunlight as it crystallizes and sublimates away rather than actually burning. The sublimation causes refraction of the sunlight hitting the skin, resulting in the sparkle effect. The skin regenerates fast enough to prevent discomfort or serious injury, but rapidly drains the vampire's energy reserves. Being out in direct sunlight for a day is possible, but the vampire would need to hunt to replenish its energy.

Long exposure to sunlight intensifies bloodlust and the burn in the throat as the vampire's energy resources are depleted. Long exposure to direct sunlight without the ability to feed will cause a vampire to go into catatonic regeneration mode. If the vampire is exposed to the sun for extended periods while catatonic, it will result in more damage than can be healed, and the vampire will die from sunlight exposure.

**Vampire durability:**

Vampires in this alternate universe are not indestructible, and can be hurt and killed by humans and other meta-humans. Vampire skin is very tough, but is not granite hard or stone-like, and is about equal to a Kevlar ballistic vest. Small caliber bullets will not do enough damage to break the skin but it can be cut with knives and swords. Large caliber bullets from magnum load pistols and/or combat rifles will do damage to vampires, but will not kill simply from shooting. Enough damage from gunshot wounds will slow down a vampire or possibly incapacitate them if the central nervous system is damaged.

Vampires regenerate almost instantly from simple cuts. Severed limbs can be reattached. Massive physical damage will cause a vampire to enter a catatonic hibernation to regenerate and repair the damage.

Vampires can only be killed by burning or long term exposure to direct sunlight. Well trained and experienced vampires carry and fight with swords, to slice and dice their opponent, incapacitating them to allow the pieces to be burned. Normal sword cuts will heal without a scar if the cut is clean and only the vampires own venom is present in the wound. Cuts from a blade with another vampire's venom on the blade will leave a scar from the foreign venom in the wound. If the vampire isn't burned, they will eventually regenerate and heal. Consuming blood accelerates the healing process.


	11. He's Mine

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 10 He's Mine!

I was driving east on Highway 101. It was Tuesday night, and I was driving Alice to her class at White Crane Martial Arts. We'd been on the road for almost thirty minutes now, and Alice hadn't said two words to me since we'd left the school parking lot on our way to Port Angeles. Alice and Bella had both been giving me the silent treatment for three days now and it was getting on my nerves. She just sat, glaring out the window, sitting silently in the passenger seat.

"Alice, won't you please tell me what's wrong?" I tried again. "I can't fix this if you won't tell me what I've done."

"Jesus, Edward! Are you totally fucking clueless? Don't you realize how hard it was for Bella to say the things she told you on Saturday? She poured her heart out to you and finally came out and declared herself! She told you she's in love with you, and you basically shut her down and told her 'thanks' for being honest with me'! Are you fucking kidding? Please don't kill Katy while I try and pull my head out of my ass. Give me a break!"

"These are real girls, Edward! With real emotions! They aren't some toy for you to pick and choose which one you're going to play with today! Now you're telling both of them that you're in love with them! But you don't know what to do? They should both leave your ass, and tell you take a hike! Unfortunately, Bella can't do that. You're hard wired into her heart!"

You know that saying, 'be careful what you wish for'? Maybe the silent treatment wasn't so bad after all. Oh well, I'd wanted her to tell me what was wrong, and now I was getting an earful. I didn't think I'd be able to shove the cork back in the bottle, so I might as well make the best of it.

"What do you mean, Alice? That's the part I don't get… This crazy magic bullshit!"

"Let me spell this out for you plain and simple. Try and keep up if you can. I'll try not to use big words! Katy is the only one out of all of us that has a chance to move on and have a normal life. You are Bella's mate. That's a permanent connection to her soul, Edward. She'll never love anyone else in her entire life but you. You can't break the connection. It's not going to go away, and it's only going to get stronger with time."

"If you break up with Katy, she'll be hurt, but she'll get over it. She's human and she'll heal. Bella can't get over you. You're a permanent part of her life now. Forever. Not some cheap Hallmark version of forever, but the real deal forever. For as long as you live forever. Got it?"

"What about my history with Katy, Alice? Am I just supposed to throw the last year away and pretend it didn't happen?"

"It's one fucking year, Edward. It's not a lifetime. She'll get over it, and so will you. You'll have plenty of time to make history with Bella. Jasper is 161 years old, Esteban is 357, and his boss, Aro, in Italy is over three thousand years old. Somehow one year just doesn't seem so significant in comparison."

"What if I don't want to be like them, Alice?"

"Quit playing the devil's advocate, and quit lying to me. You know you want it. You're just being contrary so you can argue with me!"

'Alright, then just for arguments sake, let's say I got hit by a bus tomorrow. What would Bella do? Wouldn't she just move on with her life, maybe mourn for a while, but eventually find somebody else?"

"You really don't get it do you? She'd die Edward."

"What do you mean die? I thought you just said she was going to live for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Why would she die?"

"I told you, you're hard wired into her heart. If something happened to you it would be like ripping her heart out. She'd either go insane and her family would have to put her down, or she'd suicide and end her own life. She'll live as long as you live, and when you die, she'll follow you."

"You see, these are the kinds of details that I need to know! These are the kinds of things I can't get from the internet or the Quileute Legends! Honestly, Alice, I didn't understand before."

"Well, you were the one that decided to play twenty questions! Ask the right questions! You told her you knew all about her and her family but then you didn't even ask about anything you really needed to know!"

"Jesus, Alice, did she repeat the whole conversation back to you word for word?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Bella is pretty fragile right now, Edward. She's never been in love with anyone before, and she's been hurt a lot in her life. You're not making this easy for her."

"It's not easy for me either."

"Oh give me a break! You've got it so hard! Two beautiful girls are throwing themselves at you, and you have to decide which one you want! Gee, should you pick the hot blond that you've been fucking for the last year, or the beautiful, mysterious brunette that's going to be devoted to you for the rest of eternity?"

"I don't want to hurt either of them, Alice."

"Sorry, Edward, that's a given. Somebody is gonna get hurt. The question is, do you hurt the girl that can get over it and heal, or do you hurt the girl that can't and will continue to hurt for the rest of your life?"

"I don't want to hurt Bella…"

"Then why the fuck are you taking Katy to Home Coming! You should have ended it Saturday morning, but you told her to go buy a dress! She ran out of the house totally freaked out Saturday afternoon, and you could have ended it then, but no, you had to go find her and talk her down again! Do you know what it does to Bella to see you two together like that?"

"I should have just let Bella kill her, and we wouldn't have this problem, but this isn't Katy's fault! How long are you planning on dragging this out, Edward? You've been stringing Katy along for more than three weeks now when you knew it was over! And now you're playing the same game with Bella!"

"I don't want to play with their emotions Alice. I had to go find Katy and talk to her. What if she went to the police and told them I was carrying a gun? I had to know she wasn't going to turn me in to protect me. One thing just led to another… I don't want to lead her on or lie to her… I just don't see an easy way out of this…"

"That's because there isn't one, Edward! It's time to man up and grow a pair! You have to tell one of them it's over! You know my opinion. Hopefully you'll get it right this time!"

We were driving down West First Street in Port Angeles now. West First street was a one-way street running Southeast through downtown two blocks from the edge of the harbor. I was driving in the left lane, and I pulled up in front of the martial art studio and parallel parked next to the curb.

"You're right Alice. I can't drag this out any longer. I have to do the right thing…"

"Good, I'm glad you're finally going to do something! You can't let this go on any longer…"

"I know, Alice! Now you better get inside for your class."

"Are you coming in tonight, Edward? I'd feel better if I knew you were here safe with me."

"I'm not two years old, Alice! I need to think… I'm just going to walk down to Port Books & News. I'll come meet you after your class, alright?"

"Do you have it?"

"Do I have what?

"You know what… The gun Sam gave you. Bella told you to carry it if you went to Port Angeles…"

I sighed. "Yes… But I don't feel comfortable carrying it, Alice. I don't know if I could really shoot somebody…"

"Anyone you have to shoot will be trying to kill you Edward. It's not like you're going to mug somebody or hold up a convenience store. Just stay safe. Ok?"

"I'm just walking down the block to the book store, Alice!"

"Ok, just be careful..." Alice got out of the car.

I opened the trunk for her so she could get her gym bag with her uniform and gear, and she waved as she walked through the doors of the martial arts studio. I turned to walk down the block, and started down the street towards the book store. I knew I had to do this. I couldn't let things go on like they had been. I just had to do it quick like ripping off a band-aid, and it would be over and we could all go on with our lives. It wasn't fair to either Katy or Bella to keep them hanging on like this just because I was a pussy and didn't have the balls to face telling one of them it was over.

I was lost in thought as I made my way down the block to the corner, and then I waited at the curb for the light to change to cross the street.

I was standing there on the street corner when I felt the slightest ghost of the tug in my stomach that I felt in Bella's presence. It was behind me and just faintly brushed across my awareness like she was at the limit of my range to feel her as she moved past and away. I turned around, and looked down the block. On the next street over I saw a girl with long brown hair turn the corner walking away from me.

I didn't even think about what I was doing, and turned to follow her. It had to be her. She had long brown hair hanging down her back, and she was wearing a long black trench coat with boots. I hurried down the side street toward the docks. I turned the corner, and she was up a couple of blocks ahead of me, walking down the street with her hands thrust into her coat pockets. I picked up the pace to try and catch up to her. I knew I had been an ass, and I had to make it up to her.

I felt the slight ghost of the tug in my stomach as I started to close the distance between us. I saw her turn her head a bit to the side like she was trying to glance back at me through the curtain of her hair, and then she started to move faster down the street. She had avoided me at school as much as possible, and only spoke to me when she was required to for class. Now she was practically running from me in the street. I realized how much I must have hurt her with my thoughtless words, and I had to make this right.

She crossed the street in the middle of the block, and hurried around the next corner out of sight. I ran to catch up, and called, "Bella wait…"

She was turning the corner of the next block onto another street and I ran to the corner to try and catch up, but she was running now when I turned the corner to follow. I knew she could out run me if she wanted to. She hadn't disappeared so I followed her down the block, running to try and catch up. "Please, Bella… Wait," I called after her as she turned another corner.

I followed her around the corner, but she was gone. I still felt the slight ghost of the tug in my stomach, but it wasn't getting any stronger. I walked down the block trying to guess which way I should go to find her when I took in my surroundings for the first time since I'd lost sight of her. I was standing in front of a kind of run down looking bar. There was a line of motorcycles parked next to the curb, and the neon sign hanging over the door said 'One Eyed Pete's'.

The door of the bar opened and group of rough looking bikers stepped out onto the sidewalk. The leader was a big guy standing about six foot five with broad shoulders. He had a scar on his right cheek under his eye and tattoos on his neck. He was wearing a leather motorcycle jacket with gang colors on the back, and he looked pissed off. He was standing about twenty feet away, but he was eyeing me like he was ready for a fight, and the other four guys moved out onto the sidewalk to back him up.

He turned his head, and called over his shoulder, "Hey Becca, is this the guy?"

I looked past him at the bar, and the girl with the long brown hair and the black trench coat was standing in the doorway, but it wasn't Bella.

"Yeah, Jesse, that's the creep! He chased me all the way from Laurel Avenue! Fucking stalker! Kick his ass, Jesse!"

This was one of life's little 'Oh shit' moments. I'd fucked up big time, and I wasn't going to talk my way out of this one. The big biker turned back to look at me, and smiled with a feral grin like he was going to enjoy this as he started to move towards me.

What can I say? Discretion is the better part of valor, and there were five of them. I ran. I turned and ran like hell! I could hear their boots pounding on the pavement behind me as I ran for my life, but I wasn't the state cross country champion for nothing. I didn't look where I was running. I just wanted to put some distance between us. I turned the first corner I came to, and ran down the block, and cut down another side street heading away and kept going.

It was dark out now and I thought I'd lost them. I couldn't hear anyone chasing me anymore, and I stopped to catch my breath. I finally took the time to look around, and I realized just how far I'd gone. I was in the warehouse district down by the docks, probably a good ten or twelve blocks from Alice's martial arts studio. If I was careful, I could probably circle around south back through town to avoid the bikers. With any luck they were back in their bar laughing over a beer about the punk kid they'd run off.

I could hear the water in the harbor lapping against the piers, and smell the rank odor of decay and salt in the air. I walked along the row of warehouses to find another side street to turn down, and start heading back towards the better lit downtown area. The street lights here were few and far between, but I could see a glow up ahead where it looked like a crew was working to unload a large boat or small ship. The slight ghost of the tug in my stomach gone now, and I had lost track of where Bella might be as I ran from the bikers.

I came to another side street, and turned down it to start heading back towards Alice and my car. The long warehouse block street was dark with only one dim street light on the other side of the street halfway down the block, and some flickering random lights in a couple of doorways. It looked brighter up at the next corner, and I hurried down the dark sidewalk to reach the brighter well lit street up ahead.

I realized there were alleyways leading off the side street as I passed the first one that separated the warehouse buildings. I was less than halfway down the street when I heard a noise. Maybe it was just my imagination, but then I thought I saw a movement in an alley across the street. My heart was pounding and I wanted to get to the corner under the brighter lights. I heard the yowl of an alley cat, and I chided myself for getting worked up over a stupid cat, but I glanced back.

There was somebody walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. I didn't think he was one of the bikers. He seemed shorter and more compact. I wasn't sure he was following me, but I quickened my pace. I thought about the story I'd told Bella about my father and how he'd been killed by a mugger. I wasn't going to go out like that. I'd fight first, and send him to hell before he could get the drop on me.

I glanced back to look at him as he stepped into the pool of light under the lone street light. He had straight black hair pulled back into a short ponytail, and appeared to be of Asian descent, but his skin looked a little odd. It had a slightly yellow cast but appeared to be very pale. What caught my attention were his eyes, and I knew I was in trouble.

His eyes were like Bella and Jasper's, but there was something different about them. His eyes were a darker gold. Not the darkness that seemed to indicate Bella or Jasper's mood or anger, but they were the orange hue shot through with flecks of red that I had seen in Esme's eyes in Rainier. He was wearing baggy jeans and a long duster style trench coat over a tight t-shirt printed with Asian script. He had the same unnaturally handsome good looks like Jasper and Emmett although I only had a couple of seconds to observe him as he passed through the pool of light.

I reached back to the waistband of my jeans and grasped the handle of the pistol. I pulled it out as I spun to face him…but he was gone, vanished into thin air. I quickly scanned up and down the street, but it was empty. Suddenly there was movement to my left, and I turned and fired snapping off three rapid fire shots. I heard a grunt, like somebody might give if you'd punched them hard in the gut, and then I was flying back against the wall. The pistol was plucked out of my grasp, and I saw it skid down the sidewalk and come to a rest in the dim pool of light in another doorway.

"Dude, you are so going to regret that. I liked that shirt, man! The chicks fucking dug it when I hit the clubs!" Then I felt a hang grip the front of my leather jacket and yank me up to my feet and slam me back against the wall again.

"Who the hell are you, and what do you want!"

"You know what I am don't you?" He leaned in and took a deep breath, like he was admiring the aroma and I could smell the sickly sweet stench of his breath in my face. "You're the one aren't you? You have the stink of that fucking Moreno puta all over you! I heard she'd found a mate, but why are you out here all alone?"

He reached up with his other hand and grabbed my jaw and turned my head back and forth looking at my neck. "You don't have any marks on you. She hasn't claimed you yet, or does she taste you someplace else?"

He let go of my chin and tugged at the belt on my jeans for a second, and laughed at me as I struggled against him. I hauled my arm back as best I could from up against the wall and gave him my best shot across the jaw. I just hurt my hand as he laughed at me.

"Oh a tough guy, I like it when they try to fight." He laughed in my face as he reached up and twisted my head to the side.

"That fucking Moreno puta is Esteban's new special pet! It'll rip his family apart if he has to finish her off when she loses you. Fu Chang Hong will thank me for this. This'll teach that fucking puta for running me out of that club!"

I felt his icy breath against the side of my throat as my heart pounded in my chest. His lips brushed against my neck, and I felt his tongue flick across the pulse point at my throat. I wanted to yell but his hand was clamped on my jaw keeping me immobile as I strained to look down and watch what he was doing.

This was it then. My number was up and I was going to die. I realized the effect this was going to have on the people around me, and I mourned for all the stupid mistakes I'd made. The things I'd left unfinished and what this would do to Bella.

I felt the razor sharp teeth brush against my throat…

Suddenly I felt the tug in my stomach like hope that I might survive this. It was back and flaring stronger from the end of the street.

I felt the wind of the bullet whip past my neck and saw it punch through the side of the vampire's cheek before I heard the gunshot. His head snapped to the side away from me as the slightest trickles of blood ran down my neck where his teeth had grazed against me. Four more rapid fire shots rang out before I could look up, and then I was sailing through the air again. I hit the pavement hard, but I didn't think anything was broken. I was stunned, and the wind was knocked out of me, but my leather jacket took the brunt of the punishment.

"You can still walk away from this, Billy," Bella yelled from where she was standing halfway to the end of the street. "Now get the fuck out of here! This is Moreno turf! You have no rights on this side of the sound! Tell Fu Chang Hong to keep his fucking Clan out of our territory!"

She was still holding the smoking gun in her hand as the tendrils of smoke lazily trailed upward from the barrel.

"You fucking Moreno puta!" and the Asian vampire spat something out of his mouth onto the street. "You know how long it's gonna take to grow that tooth back? If you want to claim this territory, then fucking hold it. Make me leave Bitch!"

"I don't fucking care about your tooth. You were gonna eat my mate, and you fucking knew what you were doing!"

"If he's your mate, why are there no marks on him? You haven't even claimed him! He's still fair game! Are you still so new that you don't even know how to stake your claim to your own mate? Who the fuck trained you? In case you don't know the rules, you can have as much as you can take and hold! If you can't even claim your own fucking mate, then you fucking deserve what you get!"

An angry roar ripped out of Bella chest, and she threw down the pistol. She reached into her coat and suddenly there was a long silver blade in her hand flashing in the dim light on the street.

"He's mine! Now run or go to hell, Billy Liu! Your choice!"

"Stupid fucking Moreno puta." Billy reached into his coat, and then there was a sword in his hand as he slowly started to move towards Bella. "Don't you know why I'm Fu Chang Hong's lieutenant?" He held out his free hand and pointed at her like he was doing something. "Now be a good girl and freeze."

Bella laughed at him. "I don't think so, mother fucker!" She charged at him, and then suddenly she vanished.

I could tell Billy was startled, as though something unexpected had happened and he brought the sword up to guard himself. Suddenly Bella was standing in front of him as her sword flashed in the pool of light from the street light. The blade flashed out in a lightning quick thrusting attack, but Billy knocked the point aside. The thrusting tip of the blade flashed past the side of his head, and I think it nicked his earlobe. Suddenly Billy erupted into a flurry of sword cuts and Bella was driven back as her sword flashed to block and parry the advance. Bella back flipped away from the attack to break contact, and she vanished again halfway through the arc.

Billy seemed to have all his concentration focused on Bella, and he ignored me. I had my wind back now, and I started to edge across the street towards the pool of light where my pistol had landed.

Billy dropped into a crouch with the sword in his right hand as he scanned for Bella. Then out of nowhere, she was behind him making a rising two handed cut at his spine. Billy's sword flashed over his shoulder to block the cut and he spun to face her. There was a furious flurry and crash of steel on steel. They separated, moving apart. Billy's left arm came off and flopped on the ground, but Bella was holding her stomach, and I could see her hand was wet with a thick amber colored liquid.

"Fucking Moreno Puta!" Billy roared at Bella. "You are so going to fucking pay for that bitch!"

Billy was enraged now, and he charged at Bella. She started to move to his left, circling him, and then she was gone again. Billy pulled up short, dropping into a crouch with the sword weaving a dangerous pattern of steel in front of him as he circled to the left. Then Bella was standing beside him on his right. She struck at his legs but Billy leaped to avoid the cut as the sword flashed under his feet. Billy tried to reverse his Blade to cut at Bella, but she dodge the awkward thrust and was already moving to the attack inside his guard. She followed through the cut and took his other arm off on the reverse striking up into his armpit from below. The sword and Billy's right arm flipped away and the sword crashed to the pavement in a clatter of steel. Billy looked down at his arms for a second.

"Fucking Bitch, you aren't going to get away with this! I'm Billy Liu! Your whole fucking clan will pay for this!", and then turned toward me.

I couldn't tell if he was going to try and finish me off to distract Bella or flee, but I had the pistol now as he came at me. I raised the pistol, and unloaded the clip in his face shooting as fast as I could pull the trigger.

"Who's gonna die now, mother fucker!" I yelled at him, and Billy staggered and stumbled as he came towards me.

Bella vanished again, and then she was standing between us, just out of my line of fire. The sword flashed, and Billy's head toppled off his shoulders and rolled into the gutter. Billy's headless, armless body kept moving towards me, like some grotesque automaton out of a horror movie. I rolled out of the way when it tried to stomp on me. I dodged a kick at my head, and then the sword flash again and the body toppled as a leg came off. Bella hacked at him again, and the other leg came off, cleanly separated from the torso.

I was surprised that there wasn't any blood, but the wounds seemed to just ooze the same thick amber colored liquid, kind of like a thick slightly opaque honey.

Bella flourished the sword to reverse the blade, giving it a flick of the wrist to shake droplets of the thick amber looking liquid off of the tip of the blade. She brought the round guard to her left thumb, drawing the blade forward through the fingers of the left hand that held a cloth to wipe the blade clean before inserting the tip of the blade into the scabbard inside her coat. The curved side of the blade was facing up, and then she slid the sword home back inside her coat.

"Edward, are you alright," She asked as she rushed to my side to check on me.

I was bruised and sore, and I was holding my hand over the side of my neck. I could see Bella's eyes darken as she saw the blood. Her nostrils flared, and I knew the scent was having an affect on her. She stopped in her tracks, and took a couple of steps back.

"Are you still bleeding? Did he bite you? Do you feel any pain or a burning sensation?"

"No, he didn't bite me. You stopped him before he could. I think his teeth just grazed me, but they didn't break the skin. It's just a scrape. I don't think its bleeding anymore."

I saw Bella relax, and then she took a clean handkerchief out of her pocket, and wet it from her flask. She tossed the damp cloth to me, and said, "Clean it off, please. I need to check your neck, and the blood is distracting me. I don't want to hurt you…"

I nodded and wiped the blood off my neck, and I could feel the sting of the alcohol in the cuts, but it wasn't too bad. It didn't start bleeding again, and I cleaned my hands.

Bella started to move around the scene of the fight, and she collected Billy's arms and head, and stacked them with his body and legs, but she was careful to position the pieces so they wouldn't touch where they'd been hacked off from. The pieces were still moving, writhing around like they were trying to find where they belonged. She tossed Billy's head on top of the pile, and I could the eyes were open and glaring at me despite the ruin caused by the hail of bullets. What was left of the lips tried to move to curse us despite the damage, but there was no breath or body to make the sounds as he silently swore at us.

Bella pulled the sheath for Billy's sword out of the pile, and put his sword back inside of it. Then she handed the sword to me. "Here's a souvenir, the sword of the first vampire to try and kill you. Let's hope it doesn't become a large collection."

Bella sprinkled liquor from her flask over the body parts, and then took her lighter out and lit the remains. At first just the alcohol burned, but then the pile erupted in flames and burned with a thick vile purple black smoke. I could smell a cloying scent like heavy incense as the body parts burned, and finally stopped moving as the flames consumed them.

"Let me see you neck, now," Bella said as she moved over to me, and gently took my chin in her leather gloved fingers. "I think you should be ok. You don't feel any burning or paralysis in you arms or legs, any numbness in your fingers or toes?"

I finally got a good look at Bella in the light now, and I realized her eyes were different too. They were the same orange hue shot through with flecks of red that I had seen in Esme's eyes in Rainier and Billy's eyes tonight. I wondered again what caused the change.

"No, I'm just sore. I had the wind knocked out of me, but I've taken a harder beating during wrestling season, although none of those guys ever threw me across a street into a wall." I looked down at Bella's shirt, and it was slashed across her midriff where Billy had cut her. "How are you holding up? I saw him cut you. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. It's already healed. Let me clean this up. Then we need to go."

I was looking at Bella, and one second she was standing by the fire, and then suddenly faster than I could follow, she was down the street retrieving her pistol and the spent bullet casings. Then she vanished in a blur back up the street to collect my bullet casings. Suddenly she was standing next to me again nonchalantly slipping another clip into the butt of her pistol. She put it back into the holster under her left armpit as I stood staring at her stunned.

"Are you sure you're ok, Edward? Bella asked as the realization of what had just happened started to set in. I looked at the sword in my hand, and then back at the fire, and my head started to spin a bit as the reality struck me.

Bella gripped my arm to steady me, and handed me the flask. "Here, I think you need this more than me."

"This isn't that Everclear 190 is it?" I asked as I took the flask.

"No, this is a little more your speed."

I took a sip, and then a longer pull. It was Tequila in the flask this time, but it was still strong drink. It had burned readily with a clear blue flame so it was at least 100 proof, but it wasn't tasteless, and didn't burn going down like the Everclear. I handed the flask back to Bella. She took a drink, and then put it away.

"Feeling a little better?"

"Yes, thank you. Bella, thank you for saving me again…"

"Save it Edward, are you ok to travel? We need to get out of here. Somebody must have reported the gunshots. There are sirens moving in this direction."

"Ok, which way should we go? Where are the sirens coming from?" and I looked up and down the street.

"We can't stay on the streets, they'd find you. Just trust me, ok? This may be a little disorienting, but it'll be over soon. Hang on tight, ok?"

"What do you mean…?" Suddenly, Bella swept me off my feet and we were moving towards the warehouse in a blur as she cradled me in her arms. I cringed as I thought we were going to slam into the wall. She leaped at the last second and touched the wall maybe three times as she ran up the side of the building, and then we were on the roof moving southeast over the rooftops. She picked up speed as we moved over the roof, and then we were sailing through the air as she leaped the next street. We touched down lightly and silently on the next rooftop and flashed across it. We covered maybe seven blocks in less than a minute, and then dropped down into a deserted alley off of a dark side street.

Bella set me back onto my feet, and I staggered a little, disoriented from the speed and the unreality of what was happening. Bella held my arm to steady me, and I felt better after a minute.

"Take a deep breath and breathe, Edward. You'll be alright. It's just disorienting and startling the first time. I'm sorry, but we really had to leave. It would have been bad if we were still there when the police showed up." I nodded and did what she said. I took several deep breaths to steady myself and calm down and I felt better.

Bella's blue Ducati 999S Superbike was parked in the shadows of the alley, and we were standing next to it.

"Give me the sword," Bella said, and held out her hand.

I handed the dead vampires sword to her, and she slid it into a compartment inside the front fairing along the fork tube. She took the sword out of her coat, and slid it into another compartment on the other side of the forks. There were two helmets clipped to the back of the bike, and Bella took one and handed it to me.

"Here, put this on. I'll give you a ride back to your car." Then she took the other helmet and started to put it on.

"Bella, I'm sorry. Can we go someplace to talk? Alice won't get out of her class for another hour, and she can stay later if I call her…"

"What is there to talk about Edward? We talked on Saturday, and nothing has changed. What more do you want to say?"

"Please Bella? A lot has changed. I understand things better now, but I'd like to understand more if you'll talk to me."

"Ok, we can talk, but we need to get off the street. C'mon, let's go, but so help me if I hear about how you're confused or need more time, I'll end this tonight!"

Bella pulled on her helmet, and swung onto the big bike. I pulled on the helmet she had given me and got on behind her as she thumbed the electric start and fired up the powerful liquid cooled engine. There was no place to hold onto the bike, and I felt the desire flare up in me as I wrapped my arms around Bella's waist to hold on as I rode on the back of the bike.

She revved the engine and popped the clutch, and we shot out of the alley. I thought she was going to lose it as she leaned the bike into the turn onto the street. I felt me knee lightly graze across the pavement as she made the turn. Then the bike came upright as she wound out the gears, accelerating down the street. We flew down the darkened street, and swung southwest to West Eighth Street and turned southeast. She followed the road until it turned into East Eighth Street. We flew down the street until she slowed to fit in with the flow of traffic once we started to see other cars on the road. We made a wide circle through town, and then started back northeast up East Front Street, and then West Front Street.

I was back in familiar surroundings again, and Bella pulled into a parking lot behind where Alice's martial arts studio was. I recognized the coffee house where I sometimes waited for Alice to get out of class. Bella parked the bike and shut off the engine. We got off the bike, and I handed her the helmet.

"How did you know you were going to need a second helmet tonight?" I asked as she took the helmet from me and clipped it to the bike.

"Alice told me to start carrying it. She said I was going to need it, but she wasn't sure when. Alice is usually right, so I took her advice." She clipped her helmet behind the seat on the bike and looked over at me.

"Would you like a coffee?" I asked

"No, but they probably have something I'll enjoy. C'mon, let's go see."

We walked around to the front of the espresso bar, and went in. We walked up to the service counter, and I ordered a double hammerhead, black. A hammerhead was a shot of espresso in a regular coffee cup, and then filled up with regular drip coffee. The double hammerhead had two shots of espresso for a real caffeine fix. I stepped back to see what Bella would order. She'd been looking over the menu while I ordered, and then she stepped up to the counter. She asked for a Melya. A coffee mixed with 1 teaspoon of unsweetened powdered cocoa and drizzled honey but she substituted a double shot of Espresso for the coffee, and had them top it of with hot water.

I paid for our drinks with the cash I had in my pocket, and we moved back to a quiet corner in the back of the shop. We were the only customers in the shop at this time of night, and the barista went into the backroom to work on cleaning up to prepare for the next shift in the morning.

"Alice said that cocoa affects you like Alcohol…"

"I think I deserve it. We're still alive aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are… Thank you again, Bella. I'd be dead if you hadn't shown up…"

"You have to be more careful, and think, Edward! Just why the hell were you chasing that poor girl, anyhow? I didn't see her do anything to you. I had to take out three of those Bikers before they finally gave up and stopped chasing you!"

"You didn't kill them did you?"

"No, I didn't kill them! I don't kill people unless they're trying to kill me, and I really try to avoid that. It would be nice if you'd try to stay out of trouble, though. Those guys should all wake up, but they'll just have bad headaches if their lucky. One might have a concussion, but I think he'll live."

"So, vampire, right?"

"Yeah, I thought you knew that already? Alice seems to know all about us."

"Yeah, I figured it out, just not all the details. Alice is gifted, and apparently she only tells me what she thinks I need to know." Bella nodded to agree with me. Then I went on to answer her other question. "I thought that was you, when I turned around and saw that girl on the corner. I felt your presence coming from that direction, and I followed her because I wanted to talk to you."

"You thought that was me? Your human eyesight really is weak, isn't it?"

"You've only been like this for five years, Bella. You don't remember what it's like?"

"If I concentrate, I can remember a lot of human memories, but it's like looking through blurry glass now. Human memories fade after the change. You'll remember the important things, and the automatic things like how to drive. Skills that you've practiced will stay with you. Alice is going to be amazing with the sword, and you'll remember your wrestling and running. You'll keep the memories that have strong emotions tied to them, the painful times and the truly happy times, but the rest will dim and fade with time unless you take steps to remember them. You should start a journal of anything you don't want to forget."

"Thanks for the warning, I'll work on that. So that guy that attacked me, he was from a rival family?"

"Yeah, he was Billy Liu. He was one of Fu Chang Hong's chief Lieutenants, and a big guy in the Fu Clan."

"So what was the deal with him holding up his hand and telling you to freeze? Did he actually expect you to just stand there and wait for him?"

"Yeah, that's why he was one of Fu Chang Hong's Lieutenants. He had a gift. He could make people freeze in place, and immobilize them. It made his victims a lot easier to catch and eliminate. Lucky for us, his gift wouldn't work on me. That's part of my gift."

"So that's how you kill a vampire, chop them into pieces? I take it the stories about wooden stakes are bullshit?"

"No, the fire killed him. Chopping him into pieces just made it easier to burn him, it didn't kill him. Guns can help if you get a lucky shot, or if you do enough damage it might slow us down enough to give you an advantage. Wooden stakes were something Hollywood thought up. In some ancient cultures, an iron stake was used to restrain suspected vampires, but they drove it into the corpse in their coffin to make them stay in the grave. The stake didn't kill the vampire, but was supposed to immobilize them so they couldn't come back to terrorize the living."

"So the pieces were still moving because he was still alive?"

"Yeah, if we didn't burn them, somebody could have put him back together again. Something for you to remember if you're ever in a fight, they can hack you to pieces, but as long as our side wins, we can put you back together again. It's not over unless they burn the pieces."

"Even his head? You can survive something like that?"

"Yeah, like I said, unless you burn them the pieces can be reassembled…"

"So what about the rest of the lore? You know crosses, holy water, garlic, all myths and bullshit?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Strong food odors are nauseating, but not especially repellent. Holy water doesn't burn us or anything. The rest of the Hollywood crap is just that, made up bullshit. Sorry, I can't change into a bat, but I can walk into your house whether I'm invited or not. It's just bad manners to go where you're not wanted."

"Ok, so what about the big one then. What do you eat? I've seen you drink hard liquor, and apparently some other liquids and beverages are ok, but pretty much a liquid diet?"

"Yeah, that parts not a myth."

"Billy was going to kill me wasn't he? He was going to drink my blood. Do you live like that too, Bella?"

"No, but that's the traditional diet. My kind has lived like that for as long as history has existed. That's the way it was since before writing was invented. We've become more civilized in the last couple of millennia, but there was a time when all vampires lived by hunting humans. Our civilization really started when we realized that we could live on animal blood. To be honest it makes sense. We lived by eating animals when we were human. We just use a different part of the animal after we're changed."

"So, what did you mean when you said that your civilization started when you learned you could use animal blood?"

"Vampires that live exclusively on a diet of human blood are more violent and antisocial. They tend to live alone or in pairs, and move around as nomads. Really, they're as big a threat to us as they are to you because they're a constant risk to exposing our secret. A lot of unexplained deaths in an isolated area draw attention. Vampires that feed primarily on animal blood are able to form larger groups and organizations. That led to the development of our current culture and lifestyle. Really, our whole civilization is made possible because we can use animal blood to survive."

"You said primarily animal blood. So you do eat people too?"

"We don't kill them Edward. I said we were civilized… But yeah, we take human blood too. Animal blood let's you survive, but it doesn't satisfy your thirst. It's not as powerful as human blood either. I told you some vampires have gifts, human blood makes them more powerful and gives you better control. We can survive on a diet of animal blood for the most part, but human blood makes you stronger, faster, more powerful, and makes your senses more acute. In our modern society, drinking human blood is kinda like going out to dinner for a night on the town or a special occasion. Think of it as having a good stiff drink after a long day, something to savor, but not your whole life."

"Ok, so if you don't kill these people, how do you get the blood? Rob a blood bank?"

"Not really, it's easier to run them than rob them. The first thing that you have to understand is that there are different kinds of blood, and I don't just mean blood types. The most common is animal blood, but to be palatable, it has to be fresh from a living animal. Blood from large predators tastes better than herbivores, but herbivores are more common and easier to hunt. I've heard the other large primates are almost as good as human blood. Unfortunately the only large primates living wild in North America are Homo sapiens."

"Dead blood like you'd get from a slaughter house or a butcher is just plain gross. It has almost no value, and no vampire would drink it. They'd probably resort to killing before they'd drink dead blood."

"Cold blood is human blood like you'd get from a blood bank. It's a step up from animal blood in terms of palatability, and power. It's specially handled and maintained so it can be used for transfusions. As long as it's still in condition to be returned to a living human body, it's still useful to us. It also comes in convenient plastic pouches, so it's handy to keep around."

"Fresh blood is the most powerful blood. It comes with a warm body wrapped around it."

"Yeah, but if you don't kill for it, and your secret is so important, how do you get fresh blood without exposing the secret?"

"Remember what I told you Saturday about people that know our secrets, Edward, but are allowed to live relatively normal lives. That there are people that have given their oath not to reveal the secret, but it's not completely free from danger? Most of those people live with us and work for us as donors to supply fresh blood."

"What, they just let you bite them take a sip now and then? What kind of person would willingly live like that? Do they do it for money like a prostitute? Don't you think that's kind of sick?"

"No, it's not sick! It's not like that at all! Just who the hell do you think you are to judge how we live! Would you prefer that we all lived like bunch of deranged nomads, killing at random and leaving a trail of corpses as we moved from town to town? Our registered donors perform a vital service, and make our civilization possible!"

"Bella calm down! People are going to hear you," I hissed, looking back over at the service counter as she got louder. "I'm sorry. This is all new to me. I'm just trying to understand. Why are you so upset?"

"Because I used to live like that, Edward, but I guess I'm just some sick money grubbing prostitute that fucked up and had an accident!"

It seemed like tonight was my night for life's little 'Oh shit' moments. I'd fucked up big time, again. Only this time I didn't think running was going to help.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't know. Will you tell me about it? What it was like? Honestly, I don't think of you like that, but I want to understand. I want to know about your life."

Bella took a deep breath, and I saw her trying to calm herself down. "It wasn't like that at all, Edward. I never did it for money, but some of them do. That's why Rich Dahlke is working for us. He owes a ton of money for gambling debts, and we're covering his debt in exchange for his service. A lot of the people that work for us are college students, and we pay for their education if that's what they need. Some just do it for a sense of security and a decent place to live. Others want to be like us, and trade a number of years of service for a place in our world. Some of the other clans around the world are more draconian and old fashioned than the Moreno's, and still practice slavery."

"Rose and Esme took me in and got me off the streets. I was homeless after I ran away from my father. I was living out of dumpsters and sleeping in alleys or whatever place I could find that seemed safe when Rose found me. She could have run me off like all of the rest of the people that knew I was picking through their trash, but she didn't. She took me back to the Nightclub where she worked to meet Esme, and they gave me a place to stay. Esme ran the place, and they made me a part of their family."

"For the first time in my life for as long as I could remember somebody cared about me as a person instead of for what I could do for them or what they could use me for. I found out what Rose did at the nightclub they ran, and I went to work for her. I didn't have to, and they still would have accepted me, but I wanted to help."

"I'm sorry, Bella…"

"Don't be. I got lucky for once. Somebody took me in and helped me. A lot of other kids and people on the street aren't so lucky, and nobody helps them."

"So what happened to you was an accident? What happened?"

"My bad luck happened. I was working in the club, but it turned out I was one of the client's singer."

"His singer, what's that?"

"Humans and human blood smell very attractive to us, but most of the time we can resist. Like walking through a candy store with your favorites all around you, but you don't cheat and take the candy, it wouldn't be right. The liquor helps. Alcohol deadens the bloodlust and makes it easier for us to be around humans. Marijuana and Tobacco both help relieve the burn of the thirst so we can be around people and aren't tempted as much. Pot is so much more effective, but cigarettes are more socially acceptable."

"A vampire's singer, La tua cantante, smells especially attractive. Their blood literally sings to the vampire, calling to them like a siren call. Few vampires' can resist their singer. I was James's singer. He was in the club with the Fu's that night, and things got out of hand. He almost killed me, but Emmett saved me."

"I don't understand. I thought the Fu's were your enemy. Why was a rival Clan hanging out in your club?

"True, the Fu's and the Moreno's have been rivals for centuries, but we aren't always at war. Vampires from a lot of different Clans visit our club and all the others. The Flying Dutchman is popular because Esme is a great hostess and always kept things organized and running smoothly. Things just got bad in the last couple of years since Esteban went away."

"Ok, so what happened with this James character? I assume he tried to take too much blood, but how did Emmett save you?"

"Emmett pulled him off me before he could drain me and kill me, but I'd lost too much blood. They couldn't stop the change or I would have died. They had to let me burn through the change to save me."

"What do you mean burn? Why couldn't they stop it?"

"You need to understand how somebody becomes like us. One of the weapons we're reborn with is our venom, Edward. When we feed, we inject venom into the wound. It acts as an anti-coagulant to allow the blood to flow freely, and it also paralyzes the victim so they can't resist. When we feed in the clubs, we're very careful not to allow venom to enter the bite. Venom is what causes the change. If we inject venom into the bite wound and the victim doesn't die, then the venom in their system changes them to be like me, a vampire."

"James let his venom get into my blood stream, but he'd taken too much blood by the time Emmett pulled him off. They wouldn't have been able to drain enough blood to get the venom out of my system without killing me, so they had to either let me change or finish me off and kill me."

"OK, so they had to let you change, but what did you mean about the burn?"

"The venom is poison, Edward. It paralyzes through excruciating pain. It literally feels like your body is immersed in a vat of acid and every single cell in you body feels like it's on fire and burned away to ash. It lasts for three days and nights, and you're completely aware for every second of those three days. They're literally burned into your memory, and you'll never forget it. You know that we have enhanced senses that are more acute than a human's? That's one of the first things to change, and the pain is all the more intense because of it."

"Ok, not looking forward to that, but it's just three days, right? That doesn't seem like much, compared to what you get in exchange."

"I guess it's just something you have to experience to really know how bad it is, but trust me you'll beg for death and plead for us to kill you before it's over."

'I'd prefer not to dwell on that aspect of this right now. So, once your change was over, Esme adopted you and you became a part your family in Seattle? How did you end up in Forks?"

"No, not right away, Esme claimed me, but I had to go away until I was through the newborn madness. Esme sent me to live with some friends of hers in Alaska for the first couple of years after my change. Once Esteban learned about my gift, he invited me into the Clan, and sent Jasper to start training me."

"Ok, you lost me there. What do you mean newborn madness, and why did you have to go away? What's the difference between Esme claiming you and Esteban inviting you into the Clan?"

"When you're first changed, you're what we call a newborn. We can tell a newborn vampire from the color of their eyes and their scent. Their eyes are a bright ruby red from all of their human blood in their system, and the changing blood gives them a different sweeter scent. Newborns can be emotionally volatile, and suffer from sudden mood swings and sudden violent reactions until they adjust to their new life. It's worse for the completely uninformed, when they suddenly wake up to this new life. We've found that people that know what to expect, and know going in have a much smoother transition to this life."

"So that's why you're telling me all of this, to make it easier for me later on?"

"Yeah, and because you asked me, you're gonna know all of this one way or another now anyhow, so there's no point in hiding it from you anymore."

"Ok, so newborns can be emotional, suffer mood swings, and can act out violently. Does it always last for two years? Is that why they had to send you away?"

"No, the newborn madness usually only lasts for about six months to a year before you start to gain some control. During the newborn period its best if you aren't around humans. Newborns can be very hard to control. The bloodlust can take control of you and cause you to fly into a murderous feeding frenzy from the scent of human blood. Even the sound of a human heartbeat or the warmth that they radiate can trigger the bloodlust. If you were around humans, you'd most likely kill them without any thought at all, only to realize what you'd done after the fact when you calmed down and the bloodlust faded."

"I stayed in Alaska for two years so Eleazar could help me learn how to control my gift. He's a member of the clan that Esme sent me to live with. His gift is understanding how the gifts that some of us have work. He saw my potential and contacted Esteban about me."

"Right and Esteban saw that you were valuable and brought you into the fold. How was that different from what Esme did? You said she claimed you?"

"What happened to me was an accident. It's rare but it happens from time to time. Normally when something like this happens, the vampire that caused the change is responsible for the new vampire that they create. It's their responsibility to make sure that the new vampire knows the rules and our laws, and makes a smooth transition into this new life. James abandoned me. The Fu's paid off my contract to Esteban, and left me to fend for myself. If somebody hadn't claimed me to take responsibility for making sure I was trained, I probably would have been killed. The punishment for breaking the rules is death, and it's too easy to screw up when you're a fresh newborn on your own. There are no second chances or warnings. Esme claimed me and took responsibility for me to make sure I was trained and looked after.

"Maybe Esme isn't so bad after all. She seems to have done right by you. You know she considers you to be her daughter." Bella smiled at that comment, and nodded happily.

"Esme's a very good person and she's like a mother to all of us, but don't get on her bad side! She's all business when it comes to her club. She's been managing Esteban's club in one city or another for over eighty-five years, ever since he found her running a speak easy in Chicago in the twenty's"

"What did you mean when you said that the Fu's paid off your contract to Esteban? I thought you said you didn't work in the club for money?"

"I didn't, but its part of the traditions. It's how our society works. You've heard of the term wergild, or maybe blood money? In ancient times it was a reparation payment usually demanded of a person guilty of murder or other wrongful death. Since James abandoned me, and he was sworn to the Fu's, they became responsible for what happened. The Moreno's suffered a loss, so the Fu's had to make good on it. They had to pay the equivalent of what I'd earn in a year, or provide a suitable replacement within thirty days. They paid the cash."

"Doesn't that seem a little barbaric to you? I don't want to judge, but it just seems so mercenary to me."

"I feel the same way if it helps, but you have to realize how old a lot of the people that rule my world are. We were both born in the modern age, Edward, and we look at things from a modern perspective. People like Esteban and Fu Chang Hong and Aro see things differently because the world was different when they were born. They make the rules and we follow them. If we live long enough, maybe we'll have a chance to make the rules."

"Ok, that makes sense. So, you were past the newborn madness, and you were adopted into Esteban's Clan. How did you end up in Forks of all places?"

"Jasper picked Forks when things got too intense in Seattle. The other families started to put pressure on us, cutting into our operations after Esteban had to go back to Italy. Jasper didn't think I was ready to help out yet, and he wanted to move me to a safe house to continue my training, away from the city. He wanted to go back to Alaska, but I didn't want to be that far away from Esme and Rose, so we compromised on Forks. He figured we wouldn't see very many other vampires out there, because it was so close to La Push, and the Volturi enforce the treaty on our side of the line. La Push is off limits, and any vampire with any sense gives it a wide berth."

"Ok, you know, that's the second time you've mentioned the treaty. Jacob told me the Quileute legends, but he doesn't believe them. Is all of that true too? Can the Quileutes really turn into werewolves? And what's a Volturi? Are they some kind of cop or something?"

"Yeah, the legends are true. Your friend Sam Uley's a werewolf, and so are those two big kids working for him. I think their names were Paul and Jared? Your buddy Jacob hasn't turned yet, but that's probably why they have him working with them. They're waiting to see if he phases. We've got some werewolves that work for us too. Most of them are really sweet guys, once you get used to the stink."

"That is so bizarre. Are any of the rest of the mythical creatures real? What's a Volturi? Is that another type of creature?"

"I am not a mythical 'creature', Edward! I'm a person, not some weird monster from your nightmares!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were a creature, but if you were, you'd star in my dreams, not my nightmares."

"That's better, Edward, maybe there's hope for you yet. There are some that might equate the Volturi with creatures from your nightmares. The Volturi are the ruling Clan of my world, vampire royalty at least in their minds. They rule all the clans and enforce our laws. The Volturi Guard are the peace keepers and cops, the enforcers of the rules. Esteban is a member of the Volturi Guard. The Moreno Clan is his personal household. The way the power structure works is almost like a medieval feudalism, with rival barons vying for power and favor."

"I suppose that makes sense if they're all as old as you said. So why did you decide to go to high school when you moved to Forks?"

"Well, I look like I'm seventeen. I was when I was changed. I never got to go to high school when I was human, and I wanted to try it. We needed to fit into the community and not cause too much of a stir, so it made sense to go to school to fit in. Jasper was only nineteen when he was changed, so it wasn't too far of a stretch."

"Jasper really looks like he's in his early twenties. He was really only nineteen when he was changed?"

"Yeah, I suppose he does look older, but Jasper has always had a lot of responsibility piled on him, and the years of experience leave their mark even if he doesn't physically age. He was the youngest Major in the Confederate Army when he was changed."

"Bella, all of this is supposed to stay a secret, right? I don't want to seem insensitive, but you were homeless and living on the street. Nobody was going to miss you if you disappeared. I don't know the rest of you family's stories, but what are Alice and I supposed to do about the rest of the people in our lives? I assume we can't tell them any of this."

"No, if somebody found out that you'd told our secrets, both of you would be killed. The person you told and you for telling them."

"That's what I thought. Alice and I don't really have anyone else but Carlisle. What do we tell him? Do we just disappear one day and never come home? Fake our deaths and leave him alone to mourn for us? Alice and I both have extensive accounts and investments, and I have a trust fund that won't be mine until I turn eighteen."

"You can wait until you're eighteen Edward. There's no rush. The easiest thing to do would be to wait until after you graduate, then if you decided that you want this life you could say that you're traveling or leaving home to go to college. That would be a normal time for you to leave your family, and you could still keep some contact with your father. It would probably be years before you could see him, but he could still be a part of your life, after a fashion."

"As far as your accounts and investments are concerned, we have attorneys that will make sure that your money stays yours, and that you'll be able to have access to it and manage it. I don't really know much about that part of our business, but Jasper will help you setup whatever you need."

"Ok, that makes me feel better. I still worry about Carlisle. I don't want to just abandon him. He's the only father I've known, and I love him."

"Don't worry about your father, Edward. We'll make sure he stays safe, and he can still be a part of your life, but for a couple of years you'll just have to rely on phone calls, email and letters."

That seemed reasonable. It would be the same if I went to school in another part of the country or took a job that required me to relocate to another state.

"There's one more thing I've been wondering about… I first noticed it when I met Esme. You said that newborns have bright red eyes. Usually your eyes are a kind of golden butterscotch color, but they turn darker when you're upset. I've noticed that a couple of times I've seen vampires with eyes that are a kind of orange hue shot through with flecks of red. Esme's eyes were like that in Rainier and Billy's eyes tonight. Your eyes are like that tonight. Will you tell me what causes the color change?"

"Our eyes turn golden from the diet of animal blood, actually they become darker when we're thirsty, or affected by the bloodlust. I guess that's about the same as saying they become darker when we're upset, because we get thirsty when we get angry. Watch out if you see our eyes turn black.

Our eyes start out bright red from all of the human blood in the system when you're changed. Vampires that live on a diet of human blood have red eyes, but they turn a darker almost a burgundy color with great age. The orange hue and flecks of red are from feeding on human blood. If I kept feeding on human blood, my eyes would turn completely red. The occasional infrequent snack just turns them orange until the next time we hunt."

"So your eyes are that color because you were drinking human blood?"

"Yes, but I didn't kill anyone, Edward. I need it to help control my gift. It's probably the reason we're alive tonight. If I hadn't fed today, I probably wouldn't have had enough control to defeat Billy. He was a very powerful vampire with a very strong gift."

"Ok, that's just going to take a little getting used to… So what did Billy mean tonight when he said, 'If he's your mate, why are there no marks on him'? He was looking at my neck and he said you hadn't claimed me yet. He was looking for bite marks, wasn't he?"

Bella looked down, and she acted like she was a little uncomfortable discussing this. I was sure if she could have, she'd be blushing halfway to her toes.

"Yes, he was. You're still human, and its part of mating instinct, Edward. Its how we mark are territory and claim what's ours. If I marked you, any other vampire that encountered you would know you're mine."

"But you haven't claimed me yet, because you're waiting for me to tell you that I want you."

"Yes…"

"And then you're supposed to bite me and drink my blood to seal the deal."

"Yes…"

"Alri…"

"Edward! There you are! What the hell did you do tonight?" Alice asked as she burst into the room.

"It's a long story Alice… Why, what's wrong?"

'We've got problems, Edward!" Alice reached for the remote for the TV in the lounge area of the espresso bar. It was on some nature channel, and the volume was turned down low. She changed it to the local news station, and turned up the volume.

There was a video of me running down the street with the bikers in pursuit. It was slightly blurry and at a funny angle, and I realized it must be from a traffic camera.

Then the scene cut to a pretty commentator as she read the story, "_Police are looking for anyone that can supply information on the events in downtown Port Angeles this evening. Shortly after this footage was taken, local police found three of the men unconscious at the scene of an apparent gang fight. The victims were transported to Olympic Memorial Hospital, and one of the men remains unconscious in critical condition. Police are following up on leads found at the crime scene…_" Alice turned the volume back down.

"Where's your wallet, Edward?" Alice asked.

I reached back and it was gone. When had I lost it? When they chased me? By the docks? At the fight with Billy? Running across the rooftops? I had no clue. Then Bella stood up.

"I'll retrace our path and see if I can find it. You two better get back to Forks…"

"Don't bother, Bella. The police have it. They found it lying next to that guy that's in the hospital. They're going to want to talk to you tomorrow, Edward."

"Just tell them the truth Edward, and this will be ok," Bella said. "I'll back up your story if you want me too."

"I'll wait 'til they come looking. I can't go to them tonight like this. I look like I've been in a fight, and I never laid a finger on that guy. C'mon Alice. We better go. I'll see you in school tomorrow, Bella. Ok?"

"I'll be there Edward, and I'm looking forward to finishing our conversation."

Yes, tonight was definitely my night for life's little 'Oh shit' moments. I was three for three. Hopefully the creep woke up and told the truth, but I was prepared for the worst.

**Author's Note:**

**Translation:**

**Puta (Spanish): Whore**


	12. Shall we dance?

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Ok, so maybe this is the one you've been waiting for. Please review and let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 11 Shall we dance?

We were driving home from Port Angeles after Alice's Martial arts class when I confronted her about the nights events. I finally realized how concerned she'd acted when we got to Port Angeles earlier this evening. If she knew something was going to happen, she hadn't warned me, and that bothered me.

"Alice, did you know I was going to be attacked tonight? Bella said that you told her to start carrying an extra helmet for me on her bike."

"Well, Washington has a helmet law. You would have been pulled over and gotten a ticket if you rode on the back of her motorcycle without one."

"You didn't answer my question, Alice. Did you know I was going to be attacked?"

"Not specifically, Edward. It doesn't work like that. Sometimes I just get a feeling about things. Other times I see things clear as day. Lets just say I had a feeling that something bad might happen, but that there was a very good chance you were going to be fine. Now the thing with the wallet that was like watching the video before it played on TV, but I didn't see it until class was almost over. It's random. Things like the cards or a Ouija board help me control it, but it's still pretty random."

"You could have told me you were worried and to watch out."

"I did. I asked if you were going to come to class tonight! You were the one that insisted you were going to be ok."

"Well you could have told me you had a feeling something was going to happen!"

"If I tell you too much, it changes things. You don't make the same decisions, and do things different. The odds were pretty good that everything was going to work out ok, as far as I could tell. If I warned you, everything would have changed and I would have been blind! There wasn't time to work out how the changes would have played out. I'm only human, Edward. It might have been worse, not better. You have to trust me. I'm doing the best I can. Everything's going according to plan now, just roll with it, ok?"

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me how things work out with the police then, are you?"

"No."

"Well, you don't see any orange jumpsuits in my future, do you?"

"Orange isn't your color, maybe something in blue velvet…"

"Alice!"

I tried to get a more definite answer out of her, but she wouldn't give up any more on the way home to Forks. Carlisle was waiting up for me and Alice when we walked in from Port Angeles on Tuesday night. The police had already called to ask about me, and Carlisle had explained that I drove Alice to her martial arts class on Tuesday's and Thursday's, unless I had a schedule conflict.

Apparently the detective on the phone had wanted to know if I studied martial arts too, but Carlisle thought that he'd sounded a little disappointed that I didn't. That would have made sense I guess as an explanation for how I might have been able to beat up three bikers and put one in the hospital. Carlisle had agreed to bring me to the police station in Port Angeles to talk to the detective on Wednesday morning.

I told Carlisle the official story when I got home Tuesday night. He wanted to know what the hell had happened. It didn't help that I looked like I'd been through a hell of a fight. My leather jacket was scuffed and torn, my plants were ripped, and I was bruised and beaten. Carlisle wanted to take me to the emergency room at Forks Community Hospital, but I talked him out of it, and told him I'd be ok. I felt better after a hot shower but I was still kind of stiff.

Alice, Bella and I had worked out our story on the way home from Port Angeles. Bella had called Jasper to explain what had happened, and Jasper told her he'd take care of it. Bella called us back and told us what to say. Most of the story was the truth.

Bella was mad at me, and I wanted to talk to her. I thought I saw her in Port Angeles that night, and followed her into a bad part of town. It was a case of mistaken identity, and I'd followed the wrong girl. I ran, and the guy's at the bar chased me because they thought I was stalking their friend. Unfortunately for them, they chased me onto a rival gang's turf, and a fight broke out. I must have lost my wallet when I was dodging around the start of the fight. I took the opportunity to high tail it out of there, and never saw who hit who.

I didn't go to school on Wednesday. We left at nine for the trip back out to Port Angeles the next morning, and Carlisle drove because obviously I didn't have my wallet or driver's license. We were quiet for most of the trip as I contemplated what might happen and what kind of questions I might have to answer. I could tell Carlisle wanted to ask me if I was getting involved in more trouble out here like I had before we'd moved to Washington, but he didn't want to start a fight before we talked to the police. It would upset both of us, and color my answers and reaction to the questions. It was asking for trouble, and Carlisle knew better.

We pulled into the parking lot of the Port Angeles Police Department on East Fifth Street, and Carlisle found a parking place near the walkway up to the doors. He was familiar with the layout of the local government offices here. He'd spent a lot of time up here filing paperwork and getting his licenses and certifications transferred over from California last year. The Clallam County Courthouse was one block north across East Fourth Street.

I was getting out of the car when I noticed the shiny black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows parked a couple of cars over in the parking lot. The front windows were down and I saw somebody was sitting in the back seat of the car. I wasn't sure who it was, but I had a sense that they were familiar as we started toward the doors. I noticed Carlisle was looking at the black Mercedes with the strangest expression on his face, but he seemed to get a grip on himself and followed me to the doors.

Jasper Whitlock was waiting outside the doors of the police station. He was wearing a dark charcoal grey suit, and looked older that nineteen today. He had a hard unyielding look and an official demeanor. There was an older heavyset balding man standing with him. The man looked to be in his early fifties, and looked competent, but perhaps a little nervous in Jasper's presence.

Jasper stepped up to greet me and shook my hand. "Edward, we've been waiting for you to arrive."

"Hi, Jasper, I wasn't expecting to see you this morning. What's going on?" Carlisle stopped next to me, politely waiting but confused as well. Jasper turned to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen. We haven't been introduced before," Jasper took Carlisle's hand and shook hands with him. "I'm Jasper Whitlock. My sister called me and explained to me what had happened in Port Angeles last night. She's very sorry about the misunderstanding that led to this unfortunate circumstance. My family would like to see this situation resolved quickly. With your permission, Mr. Scott here will be representing Edward today."

"Carlisle Cullen, I'd like you to meet Mr. Jason Scott," and Jasper indicated the older man standing with him. "Mr. Scott is an attorney who works for my family, and handles a variety of legal matters for us."

Carlisle shook hands with Mr. Scott, and then turned back to Jasper. "Thank you for taking an interest in this situation, but who exactly is your sister, and why does this matter involve your family?"

"Isabella Swan is my adopted sister, or at least she will be once the paperwork goes through and is approved. She's good friends with your children, Alice and Edward. You're probably more familiar with her as just Bella. Edward is very special to her, and we wouldn't want anything to happen to him."

"Of course I know Bella. She spends the night at our house all the time with Alice. I didn't realize she was so close to Edward as well." Carlisle gave me an appraising look, and then turned back to Jasper and the attorney.

I was looking over the attorney, Jason Scott, while Carlisle talked to Jasper. He had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, but it wasn't hot out. He was wearing a poker face like a master negotiator, but I knew he was nervous. His suit was expensive and tailored, and he was wearing expensive Italian leather shoes. He was holding an expensive hand tooled leather briefcase as he stood next to Jasper. There was a Rolex watch on his wrist, but he only wore two other pieces of jewelry that I could see. One was a college class ring, but I wasn't sure which school it was from. The other was another ring, and I had seen one similar to it before.

The ring had a small oval face and I knew the design. I had seen it before. It had the crossed swords and the fist between the points with the background that was quartered in red and silver. There was a single red heart below the handles of the swords instead of the row of shamrocks, but it was the Moreno family crest otherwise.

Carlisle was done talking with Jasper and the attorney, and seemed satisfied that they were here to help us.

"Well, Come on. We better head inside. We have an eleven o'clock appointment to meet with lieutenant Carmaggio, the detective I talked to on the phone last night," Carlisle said as he reached for the door.

"I made a couple of phone calls last night, after Mr. Whitlock called me and explained what happened. Lieutenant Carmaggio has been re-assigned to another case," Mr. Scott said as we walked into the police station. "We'll be meeting with Captain Brooks this morning. I have a prepared statement typed up. When we get inside you can read the statement Edward, and if it's correct you can sign it for the captain. If that's satisfactory he'll add it to the case file. This is really just a formality, and we should be done in a couple of minutes. Don't answer any questions unless you talk to me, and please don't volunteer any information with consulting me first."

I nodded as we walked into the police station and went to the reception counter. There was a uniformed police officer sitting at the counter behind a thick clear glass screen. Mr. Scott explained that we had an appointment to see Captain Brooks, and we were immediately buzzed through the security door and escorted back to the Captains office.

The four of us walked into the Captain's office, and he greeted us with an artificial smile plastered on his face, but I knew he wasn't happy to see us. He shook hands with us and offered us seats. I had the slight impression that he seemed afraid of Jasper, but he hid it well if he was. Jasper took a chair by the door, and the rest of us sat down in front of Captain Brooks' desk. Mr. Scott opened his brief case, and took out some papers.

"I have Edward's statement here of what happened last night," and he handed me the paper.

I read through it, and the story had changed a little. Apparently now the three bikers that had chased me had tried to mug me and take my wallet when the rival gang caught them causing trouble on their turf. I looked back at Jasper, and he just nodded. I signed the statement and handed it to the policeman. He read the statement, and I sat back while he looked it over.

I could read the policeman's body language, and he didn't like this, but he was playing along with this for some reason. I'd been nervous about this, but I relaxed when I noticed something. The Police Captain was wearing a ring on his hand that was the same as the ring that Mr. Scott had on his hand. He put the paper down on an open folder on his desk, and looked up at me.

"Everything appears to be in order here. The stories from the other witnesses corroborate your story. Would you like to press charges against these men?"

I looked at Mr. Scott, and he shook his head no. I turned to Captain Brooks. "No, I just want to put this behind me and move on."

He nodded and looked relieved. "Ok." He reached into his desk and took out a manila envelope, and handed it to me. "Here's your wallet that was found on the sidewalk. Please check the contents, and verify that nothing is missing."

I took my wallet out of the envelope, and checked it. My driver's license, school ID, my credit cards, and even all of my cash was still all there. I nodded to Captain Brooks. "Everything is here, nothing's missing." I put my wallet in my back pants pocket.

The Policeman nodded, and laid a piece of paper on the desk. "Please sign here to show that you have received your wallet back and the contents were intact." I leaned forward to sign the paper, but Mr. Scott cleared his throat. I sat back, and he picked up the paper and read it first.

"Ok, everything appears to be in order," and he laid the paper back on the desk. I signed it, and Captain Brooks added it to the folder.

"Well, that's everything. You're free to go Edward, and thank you for being so helpful in this investigation." Captain Brooks stood up behind his desk, and reached out to shake my hand. He was smiling but I knew he wasn't happy. He didn't like this, and was dying to ask real questions to find out what had really happened. Apparently his arrangement with the Moreno's didn't allow that to happen. The rest of us stood up, and I shook his hand. He shook hands with Mr. Scott and Carlisle, and then we left the office and walked out of the police station.

I turned to Jasper and shook his hand. "Thanks' Jasper for all of this. I was really worried about coming down here today." I glanced at Carlisle. He wasn't a stupid man, and he knew what just happened. He wasn't smiling, but I knew he wasn't going to say anything right now. He knew how the world worked, and he knew we just got a free pass because Jasper made it happen.

"Just be careful, Edward." Jasper told me as he shook my hand. "I won't have to get you out of trouble if you stay out of trouble. Just do right by my sister, and we'll call it even."

That got Carlisle's attention. As far as he knew, I was still dating Katy, and Bella was just Alice's friend. We were almost to the cars now, and then I noticed that Carlisle attention was drawn back to the shiny black Mercedes sedan. He was staring at the dark tinted windows at the back of the car again as we got closer. He had the strangest expression on his face like he was drawn to the car, and couldn't look away. I looked back at the car again, and the back door opened. Esme got out of the back seat to come over and greet us. She was wearing a beautiful green long sleeved dress, heels and skin tight leather driving gloves.

She didn't seem to notice any of us except for Carlisle, and I heard Jasper sigh and shake his head. He looked from Esme to Carlisle and back with a resigned expression on his face, and groaned, "Not you too! It's got to be something about this family…!" He stepped next to Esme, and put his arm around her waist as she came up to us.

"Esme, I'd like you to meet Carlisle Cullen, Alice and Edward's father. Carlisle, this is my mother, Esmeralda Platt."

Esme reached out to take Carlisle's hand in hers. "Please, call me Esme. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Carlisle. I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"The pleasure is all mine, Esme. I'm glad to meet you. Bella never mentioned that her mother was so beautiful and enchanting."

"Esme, we have to leave now. We need to drop off Mr. Scott, and he has appointments this afternoon," Jasper said, and he looked at me and nodded to Carlisle.

"Yeah, c'mon dad, we need to get going…" It seemed like all he could do was stare at Esme. "Dad…? Carlisle," I shook his arm to get his attention. "C'mon dad, let's go. Maybe you should let me drive.

Esme let go of his hand, and seemed to snap out of her reverie. "Edward, you're going to have to bring your father out to Seattle for dinner sometime. Sometime soon, Carlisle, come out anytime. Dinner's on me."

"Thank you, Esme. I'll do that. Soon…"

Jasper managed to lead Esme back to the car and helped her into the back, and I put Carlisle in the passenger seat of his Lexus and closed the door. I looked over at Jasper as he walked around to the driver door of the black Mercedes.

"Jasper, they didn't just…"

"Yeah, Edward, they did. Jesus Christ, you'd think it was spring time or something the way everyone's pairing off instead of goddamned October. Are you about ready to do the right thing will Bella? I don't know how much more of this I can take!"

"Bella and I are good. I know what I have to do now. Take care of Alice before she bites my head off. Ok? What about these two?"

"They're both adults. That's up to them. Are you ok with it?"

I thought about that. Mom had been gone for two years now. Carlisle had loved her, but she was dead, and he deserved to be happy as much as any of the rest of us. "Yeah, I'm ok with it. Thanks' Jasper." He nodded and I got in the car to drive home.

Carlisle was still staring at the black Mercedes, and he just sat silently in the passenger seat until we were out of sight and on the highway heading home.

"What just happened back there, Edward?" Carlisle finally asked. I knew he was asking about Esme. The thing with the police was forgotten for now, and he was curious about his reaction to Esme.

"You found your soul mate and fell in love."

Carlisle looked over at me a little apprehensively. "Ok, that's a good enough explanation of how I felt. How do you know that? You know I loved your mother, Edward, and I'll always cherish her memory. Are you ok with this?"

"I understand, dad. Mom's gone, and you deserve to be happy. I know how you feel because the same thing happened to me."

"This is why you've been fighting with Katy. Isn't it? She isn't the one you feel connected to anymore. Is this why Bella has been around so much since school started?"

"Yes, dad, I've felt the connection that Bella and I share since the first day of school. You could feel the connection before you even saw Esme, couldn't you, but it became so much more intense when you looked into her eyes."

"Yes, that's exactly how it was…"

"She feels the same way about you, dad. Even more intensely if that's possible."

"So you've felt this connection to Bella since the beginning of school, but you kept going out with Katy?

"I didn't know what was happening at first. I didn't realize that Bella was my soul mate. At first I thought it was just a purely physical infatuation because she was hot and I was a seventeen year old boy. I felt an obligation to Katy."

"I still love Katy, dad. I always will even though now I know I love Bella too, and it's more than just love. Bella and I are going to be together forever now. Can you imagine what you'd be going through right now if you'd suddenly found Esme and Elizabeth was still alive?"

"I'm so sorry Edward. This must have been hard for you. What are you going to do?"

"The right thing. I have to end my relationship with Katy. It'll hurt her. It'll hurt both of us, but I have to hope that she'll get past this and move on…"

"Carlisle… Dad, am I doing the right thing? My life with Katy seemed so right and perfect until I met Bella. Now I know I can't live without her and she can't live without me… It just feels like I'm evil and the villain for hurting Katy and leaving her for Bella but I don't see any other way…"

"It's the right thing, Edward. You can't keep leading her on if you know you have no future with her."

"Ok… Carlisle, can I ask you a personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"I'd like to think that we can talk about anything, Edward. What do you want to know son?"

"I know you and my mother tried to have children before you adopted Alice. Do you regret the fact that you never had children of your own? Please believe me when I tell you that I love you as my father. You're the only father I've ever known, but do you miss not having your own children?"

"No, Edward, I don't have any regrets. You and Alice are my family, and I love you as my son and Alice as my daughter. Having a baby would have made your mother happy but I wouldn't have loved a baby anymore than either you or Alice."

"Thanks' dad."

"Can I ask what brought this on?"

"Bella can't have children. I'll never be able to give you grandchildren unless we adopt, and I don't really see that happening."

"Do you love her, Edward?"

"How can you ask me that? I know you're feeling the same way about Esme as I do for Bella! Do you love Esme?"

"Yes, I do. I know it sounds crazy because I just met her, and I know nothing about her, but I do love her. I can feel it, and it's the same feeling I had for your mother. Trust yourself Edward, and accept her love. Be good to her, and it'll be enough. Maybe someday in your future you'll find room in your heart to let another join your family, but for now just love Bella."

"Thank you, Carlisle. There are more things that you need to know, but I'm going to let Esme explain the rest to you."

I was quiet for a couple of minutes, and then I went on. "Dad, there is one more thing you need to know. You met Jasper Whitlock today, at the police station…"

"Yes, Bella's foster brother? He seemed like a nice enough young man, maybe a little too serious. Isn't he the young man that you said Alice was interested in a couple of weeks ago? I thought they'd start dating, but I never saw him again until today. What about him, Edward?"

"He's in love with Alice and she's in love with him. They're going through the same thing as me and Bella, and you and Esme."

"Really... Has it gotten…, serious?"

"You mean physical, don't you? Jasper has been a perfect gentleman, but not for lack of Alice trying. In light of what happened today, things are probably going to be changing a lot. I just thought I'd give you some warning…"

"I think we all need to sit down and have a family meeting and discuss all of this. Apparently there has been a lot going on that I haven't been aware of."

Carlisle had a gift for understatement. There was so much going on that he wasn't aware of. Well Esme could bring him up to speed. I wondered how long it would take her to stake her claim. She didn't strike me as the type to beat around the bush and wait for things to happen. She reminded me more of Alice, the type to take the initiative and make things happen. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

We were back in forks by one thirty, but I took the rest of the day off to recuperate from Tuesday night. Carlisle had cleared his morning and early afternoon appointments because he hadn't known how long we'd be in Port Angeles. He went into the clinic for his evening appointments. He told me he'd be home early. He wanted to sit down with Alice and me to talk about what was happening with all of our relationships, and anything else we thought he needed to know. I could tell he wanted to know more about Esme, and what had happened at the police station. Both before and after he'd met her.

Alice called me after school, and asked me to come pick her up after cheerleading practice. She said that Bella had gotten a call at lunch time. She had gone to the office and said there was a family emergency and she had to leave. She'd dashed out to her car, and burned rubber out of the parking lot. Nobody had seen her since.

Alice was waiting for me when I pulled into the parking lot at Forks high school. She threw her things into the back seat, closed the door and got into the front passenger seat of the Volvo.

"Thanks for picking me up, Edward. Well, you're not in an orange jumpsuit, so unless you're on the run, I'm assuming everything went ok. How long were you at the police station?"

"We were in and out in less than thirty minutes. Do you already know what happened, or do I need to tell you?"

"Let me see. Jasper showed up with an attorney to handle the paperwork for you. He used his family connections to make the case go away, and then you got your wallet back. Did I miss anything?"

"That's all you've got?"

"Yeah? Why Edward, what else happened?"

"Hmm… Let me see. Esme decided to show up at the police station with Jasper this morning and discovered that Carlisle is her mate. No, nothing too important… C'mon Alice, you missed that? You told me a year ago I was gonna meet Bella!"

"What!"

"Oh, by the way, Carlisle knows about you and Jasper, and me and Bella."

"What!"

"He wants to have a family meeting tonight to discuss all of this. Apparently there have been things going on that he wasn't aware of."

"Well, no shit. You told me we couldn't tell him anything. Does he know anything else? You know, about Jasper and Esme and Bella?"

"Hell no! Did you think I was going to try and tell him all of that? That's Esme's job. I'm not gonna touch that one with a ten foot pole! I've got enough problems of my own."

"Like how you're gonna break the news to Katy?"

"I thought you said you didn't know anything else?"

"About this morning? No, that's news to me! But it's pretty obvious that you've finally come to your senses."

"Well, maybe I have, but the timing sucks. We need to stick around the house tonight for dad. Tomorrow is the last regular cross country meet. I'm not going to break up with her on a bus, and then be trapped with her crying for ten hours. Friday is Home Coming, and I feel bad enough about this without ruining the dance for her too. I'd really like to hold out for Saturday, but then Bella will be pissed at me for being a pussy and dragging this out even longer."

"If you want my advice do it quick and get it over with Edward. You should go talk to her tonight. Dad will understand."

"Maybe, Alice, we'll see what happens. Ok?"

We pulled into the garage, and got out of the car and went into the house. We just hung out at home that afternoon and evening. Alice did her homework, and then we made a light supper. We weren't really sure what time Carlisle was going to come home, but we expected him around nine o'clock.

Alice and I were actually sitting home watching TV for once, when I heard a car pull into the driveway around eight o'clock. I didn't bother to get up. I assumed it was Carlisle coming home early so we could have our family meeting. I was surprised when I heard a knock on the door. I looked at Alice, but she just shrugged, and looked back at me. I got up and went to the door and opened it. I guess I wasn't really surprised.

Esme was standing on the porch holding a suitcase and walked into the house when I opened the door. She was wearing a pair of black slacks, pumps, and a long coat over her blouse. There was a brand new firemist red Mercedes convertible parked in front of the garage.

She handed me her keys. "Edward, could you get the rest of my bags out of the trunk please? I'd really appreciate it if you could find a spot to park my car in the garage. I don't want to leave it out in the weather, dear. I'd never hear the end of it from Rose if anything happens to the car…"

"Hi Esme… Are you visiting?" I asked, shocked. I suppose Alice was a little surprised too, the way her mouth was hanging open.

"Of course not, Edward, I'm moving in. What did you think I was going to do? Wait for Carlisle to get up the nerve to come to Seattle looking for me? I've been waiting for this day for eighty-five years! No offense, but I have no intention of tiptoeing around the subject like the elephant in the middle of the room. You kids really need to get all of this relationship nonsense settled so we can move on to more important issues. I love Bella like a daughter, but the girl needs to grow a backbone and take what she wants."

"Alice, dear, Could you show me where my room is so I can start getting unpacked?"

"Sure, Esme, c'mon upstairs. You're planning on sharing Carlisle's room, Right? Or did you mean the guest room?"

"Don't be silly, Alice. Of course I meant mine and Carlisle's room. Tanya and Irina are going to be so jealous when I call them…" and then they were up the stairs.

I went out to the garage and parked Esme's car. I recognized it as the 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG roadster. I'd looked at something like this as a possible replacement for the Volvo. This particular model had a V-12 engine with twin turbo chargers and over 600hp. It looked fast and powerful, but perhaps a bit ostentatious, and it was only a two-seater. Like I'd told Emmett before, back seats had their uses. I had to move my Harley out under the carport to make room, but she was right. Her Mercedes was a beautiful car.

I opened the trunk, and got out Esme's other bags. I carried them inside and up the stairs to Carlisle's room. Well Esme and Carlisle's room now I suppose. The suitcase she'd carried in was open on the bed, and Alice and Esme were busy rearranging the closet. I set the bags next to the bed.

"Esme, Carlisle doesn't know anything about what's been going on here since Bella and Jasper moved to Forks. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know anything about your kind or what you are…"

"That's ok, Edward. I'll explain everything to him."

"What about your nightclub in Seattle? Who's going to run that if you're here living in Forks? Bella said that you've been managing Esteban's club for over eighty years, and you're the reason that it's so successful."

"Rose can handle the day to day operations, and I can run out there if anything comes up. The secret to being a successful manager is picking the right staff to work with, and then knowing when to delegate authority. She can handle it. We'll probably go out there on the weekends anyhow, and that's when they might need me. Besides, I think I've earned a vacation, and Esteban understands why I'm here."

"Ok, I suppose that makes sense…"

"Thank you, Edward. Now, when are you expecting your father home, dear?"

"Well, anytime actually. I thought that was him coming home when you came to the door. We were planning on having a family meeting to discuss what he needed to know about everything. To be honest, I didn't know what to tell him…"

"Oh my, I better hurry up then. Alice, dear, I can get this. Step out of the way with Edward, and I'll unpack these bags."

Alice came out of the closet, and stood next to me, obviously curious about what Esme meant. If I hadn't already experienced what had happened last night I probably would have been surprised or shocked. Alice was standing there with her mouth hanging open again as Esme started to blur around the room unpacking her bags, rearranging the closet and dresser drawers, and rapidly emptying the suitcases.

Suddenly she was standing in front of us, and the room was finished. Only minutes had passed but she was unpacked and her bags were put away in the closet.

"Edward, I heard what you told Jasper today in the parking lot at the police station. Thank you for understanding. Alice, are you ok with this, dear? I know you were both very close to Elizabeth, and I know I can never replace her, but I'd like us all to at least be friends."

"Oh Esme," Alice bounced forward and pulled Esme into a hug. "You're gonna be so good for Carlisle. He needs you just as much as you need him. Welcome to our family! I'm so happy you're here."

We went back downstairs to wait for Carlisle to come home. Alice showed Esme around the house and I went and poured her a drink. We were probably going to have to restock the bar with her living here. Carlisle enjoyed the occasional drink after a long day, but I had a feeling Esme was going to need it more if she was going to be living in close quarters with three humans.

Bella had explained about how alcohol helped deaden the bloodlust and made it easier for vampires to be around humans. Apparently their metabolism burned the alcohol out of their systems faster than a human, and they didn't feel the effects of strong drink like we did. If they drank enough liquor they might feel the effect, but enough alcohol to get a vampire drunk would kill a human.

Esme thanked me and took the glass. She excused herself and stepped out onto the patio behind the kitchen to have a cigarette. Alice and I settled in to wait for Carlisle to come home, but we didn't have long to wait. I was just starting to scan through the channels when I heard his car pull into the driveway.

Carlisle walked through the door with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Edward, whose red Mercedes convertible is parked in the garage…?" Carlisle started, and then Esme came walking out of the kitchen.

"Hello, Carlisle," Esme said. "I couldn't wait for you to come to Seattle. I had to see you…" and then she was standing in front of him looking up into his eyes.

She reached for his hands, and I saw the spark jump from her fingertips to his as she took his hands in hers. They stood there staring into each others eyes for several long moments, and then Esme started to lead him to the stairs.

"Come upstairs with me Carlisle…' Esme told him, and he just nodded as he followed her to the stairs. "There are some things I need to explain…" and I heard the bedroom door close.

"Oww…" I exclaimed, rubbing my arm where Alice had hit me…

"Damn it, Edward! That's how it should have been for me! And I've been waiting for how many weeks now because of you? End this and break up with Katy! I want Jasper and I'm sick of waiting!"

"I'm working on it, give me a break."

Esme and Carlisle never did come up for air, and we didn't see them the rest of the night. We finally gave up waiting and went up to bed.

I didn't get up to run the next morning. I was still sore from Tuesday night, and I wasn't ready to face Katy. Alice had called Katy and Michaela, and told them I wasn't feeling well when she got up to go to her aerobics class. She woke me up when she got home, but apparently the love birds were still locked in their room. I got up to get dressed to go to school, and went down the hall to shower.

Esme was sitting at the kitchen table wearing a green silk robe when Alice and I came downstairs. There was a drink of the table in front of her, and she was smoking her cigarette. She looked up at us as we came into the room and smiled.

"Good morning," Esme greeted us. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Esme. Yes, thank you. I trust everything went well last night?"

"Yes, Carlisle's fine. He's upstairs sleeping… I think I wore the poor dear out… I could never understand what Bella found so captivating about watching you sleep before, until last night…"

"Ok… Too much information," Alice said. "Can we get you anything before we go to school?"

"Well, actually Alice, I was going to ask you to do me a favor. Could you run down to your father's clinic this morning and cancel his appointments for today? I can call the school and tell them you'll be in late…"

"I can just call Christy, dad's receptionist, and she…"

"We called Christy and let her go last night, dear. She won't be working at the clinic anymore."

"Oh… Well I guess I can run down there. Why did you fire Christy?"

"Apparently she's been having an affair with your father for the last three months, but he hadn't gotten around to breaking the news to you yet. I wanted to go rip her throat out, but I'm trying to set a good example for Bella… I'll fill in for now until I can hire somebody to replace her, but we're going to be somewhat… indisposed today."

"Ok… still too much information, Esme… but sure, I'll take care of it. Will it be ok if Bella drives me over to the clinic? Is she going to school today? She didn't show up for our aerobics class, and she hasn't answered my calls."

"Bella isn't back from Seattle yet, Alice. Jasper called her and had her go dashing out there after I met your father yesterday. She's helping Rose with the club, but she'll be back this afternoon. You can take my car, so you can drive to school when you're finished… Just don't scratch it, or neither of us will ever hear the end of it from Rose. She's just so particular about all of our cars."

"So you and Carlisle found time to… talk?" I asked.

"Yes, Edward, He knows everything, and he took it all rather well. The rest is up to you now."

"Alright, I know what I have to do. Please don't say anything to Bella. I want to tell her myself after I talk to Katy." Esme and Alice both nodded. At least maybe she'd be happy once I broke the news to Katy.

We left for the day then. Alice drove Esme's Mercedes down to the clinic to cancel Carlisle's appointments, and I drove the Volvo to school. I got a lot of strange looks from the kids. I still had scrapes and bruises on my neck and jaw from the fight Tuesday night. The story had gotten around school that something had happened to me when I drove Alice to her class. It still amazed me how the stories could grow and twist when there were so few facts to go on.

Personally, I was partial to the story where three guys had jumped me in a failed mugging attempt, and I'd beat them up and put them in the hospital. The story where Alice had gotten out of her martial arts class and had beaten up the three guys to rescue me was almost as good, and maybe even more believable. I didn't really care for the story where I'd been arrested for starting a brawl in Port Angeles, and Carlisle had to go bail me out yesterday after I spent the night in jail. I suppose it was better than the one where I was on the run, and the police were still looking for me.

I was enjoying the rumors floating around school for once, and would have liked to stay and listen to more, but the cross country team loaded up on the bus after second period for our trip back out to Tenino. We'd started the season there with the first cross country meet, and it was fitting that we'd end the season there with the last regular season meet. We shouldn't be so late tonight as that first meet. There was no cookout planned, and we'd probably be back in Forks by ten thirty tonight.

I avoided Katy on the bus. I didn't want to lead her on, but I didn't want to break up with her on the bus either. It would be bad if she didn't take it well, and I was trapped with her on the bus for the whole trip home. I had a small window of opportunity if my timing was right. I was going to wait until we got back to Forks. I figured Katy would be riding back home with Michaela when we got back to the school. I'd do it in the parking lot when we got back to school. I wouldn't be trapped on the bus, and then Katy would have until the next morning to decide if she was going to go to school or not.

It seemed like the best plan to me. The timing sucked, and it would probably ruin Home Coming for Katy, but she was going to get hurt no matter what I did. I couldn't drag it out any longer. I knew I had to do it face to face. There was no way I was going to break up with her over the phone after dating her for over a year. She deserved better than that. She deserved somebody who loved her, but I still did. She deserved somebody who could be committed to her alone more, but I couldn't because Bella was a part of my life now. I had to do the right thing and end this for all of our sakes, but it was going to hurt both of us.

I was still a little stiff from getting thrown around on Tuesday night, but I went through my stretches and did some warm up runs to loosen up. I had missed practice yesterday, and I'd skipped my run this morning, but I felt better after I was warmed up. I still didn't feel like I was giving a hundred percent, but I'd give the race my best shot.

The girls ran first, and Leah Clearwater beat Katy by a half second. It was literally a photo finish, but the judges said Leah won after reviewing the film from the finish camera. The boys lined up for our race while the judges were still reviewing the finish of the girls race. I heard the starting gun, and all of my aches and pains and stiffness just melted away and I was in my zone. I flashed around the course, and gave it my all. Maybe I wasn't feeling up to a hundred percent, but apparently ninety-nine percent was good enough to win the race.

I finished the season undefeated with nine first place medals. All that was left was the district league meet next week at Montesano and then the State finals, although the State finals weren't guaranteed or a sure thing. It depended on my performance at the district league meet to see if I'd go to State, but I only had to finish in the top fifteen to secure a spot. I thought I had a pretty good chance, considering I was going to districts undefeated.

I was nervous on the trip back to Forks, despite the congratulations I received from my teammates. I knew what I had to do, and my moment of truth was approaching. Katy was sitting in the back of the bus with Michaela and Brittany, and I could hear the girls talking about everything that was going to go on in town tomorrow. I was surprised to hear my name come up as a possible nomination candidate for Home Coming King. Traditionally the Home Coming King and Queen were seniors. I was only a junior this year, but winning State Cross Country and State Wrestling last year were a big advantage, and I had an undefeated cross country season under my belt this year as well. Tyler and Tanner were mentioned also, and I thought they had a better shot. They were football players, and Football was a more popular sport.

Home Coming was a big event in the small town. We only had a half day of school tomorrow on Friday, and there was going to be a parade down Forks Avenue across town to the school. There were a bunch of flatbed trailers that were going to be decorated as floats. The football team would ride on one, and the cheerleaders on another. One of the floats was set aside for the people that the school nominated as the Home Coming 'Royal Court', but the nominations wouldn't be announced until tomorrow morning. A lot of local businesses also sponsored floats and several local service organizations and groups would march in the parade behind the high school band. There would be a pep rally after the parade, and then finally the football game against Montesano and the Home Coming dance.

The football game would probably wrap up by nine thirty, and then the Home Coming dance would run from ten o'clock until midnight. People would be filtering into the dance until ten thirty or eleven, before the real festivities got going. The cheerleaders and football players would need time to change after the game before they went to the dance. The Home Coming dance was semi-formal, and like a lot of small towns it was really almost a fall prom. The difference being that it was a semi-formal event with cocktail dresses and nice suits instead of a formal event like prom with evening gowns and tuxes.

Carlisle had volunteered to be a chaperone at the Home Coming dance when he'd attended a Junior Class parents meeting over the summer vacation before the school year ever started. The Junior Class was responsible for organizing Home Coming, and the Senior Class organized Prom. I had wondered who he'd take as his escort for the evening, but now I supposed Esme would be there with him.

The high point of the evening would be crowning the Home Coming King and Queen who were nominated by the student body. Voting would be held at the pep rally and the dance. Each student that attended the dance got one vote for King and Queen, but it was really a simple system. When the kids bought their tickets, they tore off the vote tabs and dropped them into the bin for whoever they wanted to vote for. The Home Coming king and queen were supposed to be chosen based on their achievements, but like most things in high school, it was really just another popularity contest.

I was still lost in my musings about breaking up with Katy, and Home Coming when the bus came to a stop. Luckily I was sitting near the front of the bus, so I was one of he first ones off. I started looking around for Michaela's car. It was about then that I realized we weren't in the parking lot. We were stopped on the side of the road at the edge of town. Was that a banner with my name on it? What was the fire department doing here? There was a fire truck, and its lights were going, but it was hung with banners and streamers. It didn't have the siren blaring, and I hadn't heard anything about an accident or a problem.

The next thing I knew, Principal Rupprecht was there with his arm around my shoulder, and Coach Newhouse was beaming with a wide smile plastered on her face. They led me over to the bright red truck, and hoisted me up onto the back of the fire engine by the fire hoses.

"Congratulations Edward! Coach Newhouse said as she climbed up on the truck with me. "The sports booster club and the city council arranged this to welcome you back into Forks for your undefeated winning season!"

The fire truck started up, and the siren started blaring now as we drove down Forks Avenue toward the center of town. Cars were honking their horns and flashing their lights, and we made a mini-parade as the fire truck drove the rest of the way to the school with the bus following behind. We pulled into the parking lot at Forks high school, and the high school band was waiting for us playing the school fight song when we drove up in front of the school. Why were there so many people in the parking lot? I just wanted to take Katy aside for a couple of minutes and get this over with, but half of Forks was here to welcome me back. If I knew they were going to make this big a deal, I would have thrown the lousy race.

We pulled up in front of the school, and the Mayor and half the City Council were waiting. Jesus, even Carlisle and Esme were there holding hands, and Alice and Bella were there with the cheerleaders out in front of the band. Coach Newhouse led me down off of the fire truck up to a podium on the sidewalk. Mayor Monohon gave a speech congratulating me on the winning season, and wished me luck at districts and hopefully the State Finals. It was a good bet. I'd won last year. Then the crowd started to disperse and leave. The last time I saw Katy, she was walking off with her mom and dad to get into their car with them.

Shit! Why couldn't anything ever go according to plan! Damn it! I knew what I had to do! I was ready to do it! I was dreading it, but I knew I had to do it! Now I wouldn't see Katy until sometime tomorrow morning at school! We'd already talked about not running tomorrow morning. It was a week until districts, and Michaela, Katy and I were taking it easy until Sunday. I suppose the next best option was to try and catch her in the parking lot at school in the morning.

Bella was over talking to Carlisle and Esme, but Alice was coming over to me. I could tell she was mad from the look in her eyes…

"Alice, don't start with me… How the hell was I supposed to know they were going to have half of Forks waiting here to greet me…?"

"Two words, Edward, just two simple little words. It's over. That's all you had to say! I told you to go talk to her last night! Why won't you ever listen to me? It's like the obvious is right there in front of your face, but you refuse to see it… God, Edward! Sometimes I just want to take a two by four and beat some sense into your head…"

I winced as Alice glared at me. She was under a lot of stress, and I knew I was causing most of it. Then she went on.

"Do you know who asked me to go to Home Coming, Edward? Eric Yorkie! Jasper Whitlock is my goddamned mate, and he won't even talk to me. Eric Yorkie, Edward! I should be going to Home Coming with Jasper!"

"Did you say yes?" I asked with a grin, trying to lighten the mood a little.

I thought Alice was going to hit me. "Hell No! I'll probably have to go with Bella to make sure she shows up if you don't get this fixed!" Alice took a deep breath, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Ok, what's the plan genius? Do you have another brilliant strategy? Or should I just tell Bella to take her out of the picture? You know, nobody will ever find the body…"

"Alice! No! Nobody dies, got it! I'll talk to her first thing in the morning before school."

"Why don't you just drive over to her house right now, knock on her door, and ask to talk to her?"

"Because it's almost eleven thirty on a school night, and her father won't let her out of the house. I'm not going to go over there and stand in her living room and break up with her in front of her parents!"

"Remember the other day when we discussed that it's time to man up and grow a pair? This qualifies, Edward!"

"No, this is the difference between responsibility and suicide. I'll do the right thing, but I'm not going to stand there in her dad's house and effectively say 'gee, thanks for all the sex, but I can't go out with you anymore!' The only reason he's been looking the other way is because he thought we had a future together."

"Ok, you have a point…"

"C'mon, let's go home. Do you need a ride?"

"Yeah, I rode over with Bella, but she's gonna pretend to drive back over to the Dahlke's before she comes home."

We walked to the Volvo, and got in to drive home. Bella had already gotten into her Charger and left, and Esme drove Carlisle home in her Mercedes.

"Before she comes home? Is she moving in too?"

"She might as well. Esme's there now, and dad knows everything. She's practically been living at our house for the past three weeks, anyhow. At least now she can come in the door instead of the window. She's just been keeping her clothes and school stuff over at the Dahlke's. She only goes there to change clothes or pick stuff up. Esme and I were hoping you would have taken care of business by now, but I guess we can move her into the guest room until you do."

"What, were you expecting to move her into my room? What does Carlisle say about that? What about Esme?"

"Esme suggested it, and Carlisle didn't object. He understands now how powerful the mating bond is. They know you're her mate, even though you haven't taken the bond to the next level yet and you two haven't really talked about it. Once you do, the rest is inevitable. The mating bond is more permanent and binding than any marriage vows are in our world, Edward. She's your soul mate. Once you accept her and she claims you, you'll be bonded body and soul. I think it'll be ok if she stays in your room."

"Thanks' Alice, no pressure at all. And here I've been worried about my ability to make a commitment… You haven't told Bella what I'm trying to do have you? I want to tell her myself…"

"No, we haven't said anything to Bella…"

"Thank you, Alice."

We pulled into the garage, parked, and went into the house. The porch light was on, but it was dark in the house when we walked in. Carlisle and Esme must have already gone up to their room. I told Alice good night and went to go take a shower. I knew Bella was there in Alice's room when I got done in the bathroom and went back to my room to go to bed.

I walked past and went into my room and closed the door. It would be so easy to just call Bella to come talk to me, and tell her I wanted her. Tell her that I loved her and was ready to accept our bond, but the truth was, I wasn't ready. There was one more thing I had to do. I'd promised Katy that I wouldn't cheat on her as long as she was my girlfriend, and I hadn't ended that relationship yet. I still had to face Katy and tell her it was over before I could accept Bella's love in good conscience.

I was restless and tossed and turned, and couldn't sleep, but eventually I dropped off into a fitful slumber. I had turned off my alarm because I wasn't going to get up to run. I still woke up early, but I was at peace and relaxed now and I knew why.

"Bella…"

"Yes, Edward?"

"Are you ok with what's happened with Carlisle and Esme?"

"I've never seen Esme so happy before, and this does solve your concerns about having to possibly abandon your father at some point, but that not really what you're concerned about is it?"

"No, it isn't"

"You want to talk to Katy… You wanted her last night, I could tell…"

Good, she understood what I had to do. I hoped Alice hadn't gone and ruined the surprise. I wanted to be the one to tell her…

"Yes, Bella I need to talk to Katy…" I needed to talk to Katy to tell her it was over, that I had made my decision, and I wanted Bella.

"I understand Edward. Do what you have to do. I'll wait for you…" Did she sound upset?

I felt the rush of air, and the sense that the door had opened and closed, and then she was gone. I hadn't given her the wrong impression had I? She had to know that I wanted to talk to Katy to tell her I was breaking up with her, didn't she?

I got up and got dressed but I didn't see Bella again that morning. I went out to drive to the school, assuming that Alice would ride with Bella today. It was early still, but I wanted to be there when Katy got to school.

I was sitting there waiting, watching the cars pull into the parking lot, when I heard a set of knuckles rap on the passenger window of the car. I'd just seen Michaela's car pull into the driveway, but I turned to look who was knocking. Coach Clapp was standing next to the car, holding a clip board. I opened the passenger window to see what he wanted.

"Cullen, c'mon, you're on my list. You're to report to Principal Rupprecht's office immediately."

"Can I meet you there in a couple of minutes? I need to talk to Katy Decker first."

"No time Cullen, I was told to collect all of you first thing this morning and send you to the Principal. Where's Decker? She's on my list too." And he scanned the lot. "Ok, I see her. Why are you still here? Move it Cullen! You can talk to her when she get's to the Principal's Office."

It figured, so close, and yet so far. I got out of the car, and left for the principal's office to see what he wanted while Coach Clapp left to go intercept Katy.

It was a short walk to the school office, and I went inside. Mrs. Cope was waiting, and she ushered me around the counter into the ante room in front of the Principal's office. Tyler Crowley and Tanner Smith were there already, and David Martin, another popular senior guy I never hung out with. Megan Foster, a senior girl and the star player on the volleyball team was there chatting with Jessica Stanley. Jessica was only a junior, but she was the head cheerleader this year. A couple of minutes after I walked in, Katy walked into the room. She ignored me and went over to talk to Megan and Jessica.

Principal Rupprecht walked out of his office after a couple of minutes, and went to talk to Mrs. Cope, but I could only hear part of the conversation as he stuck his head through the doorway, and she answered him from the other room.

"…are they all here?"

"Well send her in as soon as he finds her. We'll go ahead and get started."

Principal Rupprecht came back into the room, and motioned for all of us to follow him. He opened his office door to usher us inside. He went to his desk, and then turned to address us.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. You've all been selected by your classmates as this years Home Coming Royal Court. You're going to be excused from your regular classes today, but you're going to have a very busy day today. Mrs. Cope has contacted your parents to explain and get permission for you to participate. We'll be leaving the school campus shortly to go down to the Photography Studio to have pictures taken for the yearbook, and then we need to get you down to the staging area for the parade. We're just waiting for one more student to show up, and then we'll get going."

The office door opened as the Principal was finishing up, and Bella came walking into the room. She seemed a little apprehensive, as though she wasn't sure why she had been sent to see the principal.

"Come in, dear. It's alright, you're not in trouble. I'll let your friends explain what's going on," Principal Rupprecht said with a chuckle. He looked at his watch and walked to the door. "Ok, let me check with Mrs. Cope, and then we'll get going."

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activity, and we were either together as a group, or off with somebody doing something all day long. We drove down to the photography studio for pictures, and several sets of parents showed up with clothes for their kids to change into. Esme was there, and brought a nice dress for Bella to wear. They talked for a minute and Esme made her change out of her jeans and t-shirt for the pictures. Esme had a pair of slacks and a dress shirt for me, as well.

We went to brunch after the pictures, but Bella explained about her food allergies, and just sat and chatted as the rest of us ate. Then they drove us out to Tilicum Park where the parade was staging in the Natural Resources Department parking lot. We pitched in to help finish up the decorations as a lot of other kids from the school showed up to help. The football team arrived, and then the rest of the cheerleaders.

I spotted Alice, and she just glared at me as I worked on the float attaching paper flowers with wire ties. A couple of minutes later, I felt someone grab my arm. It was Alice, and she pulled me aside for a minute to whisper to me.

"You didn't do it yet, did you?"

"No, Alice. They grabbed me before Katy got to school. I haven't had a free minute alone all morning!"

"Well I'm talking to you now! Have you even tried?"

"It never seemed like the right time, Alice. I don't want to ruin her day."

"Ok, I get it, but you have to fix this! What the hell did you say to Bella this morning? She took off out of the house, and I had to get Esme to go find her and calm her down! She wasn't even going to go to school today, but Esme talked to her and made her go! Don't screw this up, Edward!"

Alice got called away after that and we didn't have another chance to talk. We rode in the parade through town and back to the football field, and were escorted into the gym. There was special seating set aside for us at the pep rally. The special events of the day dragged on into the late afternoon and we were finally given a break to go home to eat dinner, but we were instructed to be back at the school early before the football game and dance.

I tried to catch up to Katy as she left to go out to the parking lot, but she slipped away before I could get through the crowd, and her father was waiting to pick her up. I turned to go back to my car to drive home, and Bella was standing on the path from the school glaring at me, as I walked to the Volvo. What was her problem? I was doing all of this for her. I just had to make a clean break with Katy before I could commit to Bella, but after tonight I would be hers. Couldn't she just wait one more day?

I went home and got dressed in my suit for the dance. Alice and Bella both wore their cheerleading uniforms, but they took their dresses with them to change for the dance after the game. Carlisle was wearing his good suit, and Esme was absolutely stunning when she came downstairs in her dark green cocktail dress and heels. Alice and I ate dinner with Carlisle, and then we all left for the football game.

I drove myself back to the school. Alice rode with Bella and Esme drove Carlisle in her Mercedes. I had tried to call Katy to see if she still wanted me to come pick her up, but my call just went to voicemail. She hadn't talked to me since the cross country meet yesterday, but Michaela called and talked to Alice, and she just looked at me and shook her head no. Ok, it was official. Everyone was pissed off at me.

Katy was mad about Bella. Bella was mad about Katy. Alice was ready to bite my head off for not taking care of business. I had to end this, but I just hadn't been able to get Katy alone to talk to her, and now she was avoiding me. I supposed I could try and talk to her at the football game if I got the chance, but that would make the rest of the night kind of difficult. The Saturday option was looking better and better all the time.

I got to the school, and I wasn't there for two minutes when they grabbed me again and led me to a staging area for the royal procession before the game. We got back onto the trailer we'd ridden on in the parade today, and made a circuit around the track around the football field. Tyler and Tanner were in their uniforms, and ran over to join the football players on the side of the field. Jessica and Bella went over to join Alice and the rest of the cheerleaders. Katy, David, Megan and I were all led up into the stands, and special seating was set aside for us to watch the game.

I hated situations like this where I felt like I was under a microscope and half the people in the stands were staring at me. I couldn't just casually lean over and say, 'Oh, by the way Katy, I want Bella and we're through'. I wanted privacy to talk to Katy, and breaking up with her in the stands at the football game just seemed wrong. Besides, Katy wouldn't sit next to me, and sat down at the opposite end of the row with Megan and David between us.

The first half of the game was fun. Forks was ahead at halftime, and then we were back on again. The cheerleaders went through their routine while the band played, and the four of us were escorted down out of the stands out onto the football field. Tyler and Tanner came running over, and Jessica and Bella joined us. We were introduced to the assembled audience, and our achievements were listed.

The whole Home Coming King and Queen selection was really just a popularity contest. Based on what I heard at half time, Tyler had a pretty good shot. He'd won the State title in his weight class in wrestling last year, and he was the winning quarterback on the football team. I was surprised how many kids cheered for Bella when they announced her name. Like I said, popularity contest, she was obviously the prettiest of the four girls. Katy was hot, and she was probably the best looking girl in school until Bella moved to forks, but Bella made her look plain.

We went back to our seats after half time, and watched the second half of the game. Montesano rallied in the second half, and tied up the game. There were only a couple of minutes left, and I thought we were going into overtime, when Tyler threw an interception. The guy from Montesano picked the ball out of the air, and there was nobody around him. He roared down the field for a seventy yard run, and made it into the end zone to score.

It got quiet in the stands after that, and there were a lot of depressed people, but the mood started to improve after a couple of minutes. Montesano kicked off to us, and our guys fought to try and come back, but we only managed to get into field goal position, and were still down by four when the final gun sounded. I didn't know how many kids hadn't voted yet, but that interception wasn't going to win Tyler or Tanner many votes tonight.

The teams shook hands in the middle of the field, and then headed into the locker room. Everyone that had to change for the dance dashed off to get ready. Carlisle and Esme were waiting for us when the game ended. David, Megan, Katy and I were already dressed, and they escorted us into the gym. The room was already starting to fill up as people made their way through the doors, and the DJ started to play music.

Katy was still avoiding me, so I went and talked to Carlisle and Esme as people made their way into the dance. I really hadn't had time to talk to Carlisle since Esme had moved in, but then we really couldn't talk about anything important here either.

"Are you enjoying the evening?" I asked Carlisle as I came over to the happy pair.

"Surprisingly, I am. You know, when I first signed up to help out with this dance, I thought this was going to be a chore. I suppose it all depends on the company that you keep, and I have the most wonderful escort," And he leaned down and kissed the top of Esme head, as he held his arm around her.

"Edward, have you talked to Katy yet?" Esme asked.

"No, I haven't had the opportunity to yet. I wanted to talk to her yesterday, but that didn't work out. I was going to talk to her this morning, but they dragged me to the Principals office before I could. She's been avoiding me all night, and now we're at the dance. I really don't want to ruin the night for her."

"Edward, dear, you have to do the right thing. If she's in love with you, and she's avoiding you, she probably already expects what's going to happen. It can't get much worse. Let her go so she can move on. If she's mad enough to be avoiding you then telling her the truth isn't going to ruin her night anymore than it already is."

"Thank you, Esme. I'll try and find her."

I left Carlisle and Esme to mingle with the crowd and do their job chaperoning the dance. They really seemed to be paying more attention to each other than the dance, but Esme didn't miss much if anything, and she had literally decades of experience with this kind of thing. Mike Newton seriously looked like he was gonna pee his pants when she walked over and tapped him on the shoulder while he was trying to spike the punch. She just relieved him of the bottle, and sent him on his way. She smiled and shook her head as she took Carlisle hand, and they continued to mingle.

I was starting to think Katy had left the dance. I hadn't seen her for the longest time as I walked around chatting with friends and making the rounds looking for her. Angela and Ben were out on the dance floor, staring into each others eyes. They'd seemed like an unlikely couple at first, but they were totally committed to each other, and were getting serious.

Mike and Jessica were hanging out by the DJ and the PA system up at the front by the stage. Mike seemed afraid to leave her side, and was keeping an eye out for Esme. Jessica seemed to be bursting with anticipation like she was waiting for something, but then her mom was the head of the Home Coming Committee, and she was probably waiting to get her tiara. Her mom had made her head cheerleader, and she was probably a shoe in for Home Coming queen if her mom was counting the votes.

Tyler and Lauren were hanging out with Mike and Jessica. Tyler looked pretty depressed after blowing it and losing the game at Home Coming. He just seemed to mope around, and looked like he just wanted to make it through this and get out of here. Lauren actually seemed to be happy for once, but then Tyler was probably out of the running for Home Coming king, and she wouldn't have to watch him dancing with another girl.

I finally spotted Alice and Bella come in. Bella looked like this was the last place on earth that she wanted to be, and Alice practically had to drag her through the doors. She seemed to relax and calm down when they got to Carlisle and Esme, and Bella at least looked resigned to endure this now. I think Esme slipped her the bottle that she taken from Mike to help her relax, but it was hard to see with the dim lighting and the crowd.

I'd made the rounds and hadn't seen Katy, Michaela or Brittany. They were either in the ladies room, or they'd already left, and I didn't think Katy would be able to escape until they announced that Jessica was Home Coming queen. I got myself a glass of punch, and wandered over to where Mike and Tyler were up by the DJ table. Jessica and Lauren were talking together, and I went over to the guys.

"Hey Tyler, sorry about the game. I thought you had it in the bag for a while there."

"Yeah, no problem… At least our record will probably get us into the playoffs. We're five and two for the season with two more games to play. If we beat Rainier and Tenino, we'll have a pretty good shot at going all the way this year."

"Sounds like a plan, good luck."

"So, Edward, where's Katy?" Mike asked. "I haven't seen you two together all night. Are you guys fighting again?"

"She'd have to be talking to me for us to fight," I said, but that seemed to get Jessica's attention.

"I saw her in the restroom with Michaela and Brittany, Edward," Jessica chimed in, "but she looked like she was crying. I can go see if she's still in there…"

"Would you please Jess', I really need to talk to her…"

"Sure, Edward, Let me see if I can drag her out…"

"So, Edward, what do you have planned for the rest of the night?" Mike asked when Jessica went scurrying off to the ladies room. "Are you and Katy going to the bonfire out in La Push tonight?"

"There's a bonfire in La Push tonight?"

"Yeah…! There's a bonfire in La Push on Home Coming every year! It's the traditional after party! Where have you been all week? Don't you pay attention to anything important? We let the parents and the committees have their fun with this dance, but all the kids are really looking forward to the after party!"

"I don't know Mike. Katy and I haven't talked…"

"Yeah, I can see that. So is it true then? You're dumping Katy to hook up with Bella Swan?"

"Who said that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe just anyone who goes to Forks High School and has eyes that still work," Tyler added. "It's pretty obvious that you have a thing for Bella, Edward."

"I didn't think I was being that obvious, and Katy is still my girlfriend…"

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but you don't act like it anymore, and Katy knows it. How much longer are you going to keep doing this to her? If it's over, then it's over," And this coming from Tyler Crowley who'd been breaking up and making up with Lauren for two years now. Maybe it was that obvious.

I looked over, and Jessica had gotten Michaela and Brittany to talk Katy into coming back into the dance from the restroom. I could tell she'd been crying, and I started to walk over to them. Katy tried to turn and leave again when she saw me, but the girls blocked her and made her stay. I reached for her hand, but she flinched away.

"Katy, I really need to talk to you."

"What do you have to say Edward? I really don't want to talk to you tonight…"

"I'd really like to speak with you in private… I've been trying to talk to you since last night, but we never had a chance to be alone…" Katy looked up at me with hope in her eyes.

"You avoided me on the bus and wouldn't talk to me at the cross country meet yesterday… I thought you were going to tell me that you didn't want to take me to the dance… I wouldn't even be here if they hadn't nominated me…"

"Katy we should really talk in private…"

"Ok, Edward, let's talk…" Katy took my hand as we started to move away from her friends. Jessica looked a little exasperated, like she wanted to be a fly on the wall and catch every detail. We moved over to one of the corners of the room where we could talk, but I didn't know how to start.

"Katy, we both said that we needed time to think about our relationship. You know that I love you… but we've been going through a trying time. You told me to be honest with you. You said 'tell me where I stand'. I know you have needs, and I haven't been there for you. Katy, I've made my decision and…"

Suddenly the room lights dimmed and came back up and the music stopped. There was a spotlight shining in front of the stage and Alice was standing behind a microphone stand.

"Can I have your attention everyone! I know this is what you've all been waiting for all night. the voting is finished and I have the results. If I could have the Royal Court come up here to the front by the stage, we can crown our Home Coming King and Queen!"

There were applause, and I could feel half the eyes in the room boring into me as I stood there with Katy. People came over to us, and led us over to the stage, and we were separated as I went to stand with David, Tyler and Tanner.

Katy just stared at me, but from the look on her face, she probably had a good Idea about what I was going to tell her. Damn it why couldn't I just get those two damn little words out. It's over. What was wrong with me? Did I want to keep hurting her? No, but fate seemed to be enjoying my pain.

Bella didn't seem to be any happier to be herded up in front of the school and just stood there in her dress glaring at me. The only one that seemed happy was Jessica as she stood there beaming at the crowd.

Esme and Carlisle, and Coach Newhouse and Principal Rupprecht kept the crowd back, and left an open space around us. Alice went on when we were all assembled at the front of the room.

"Ok, let's keep this short and sweet. After counting 'All' of the votes," and Alice glanced over at Janet Stanley. "Your 2006 Home Coming Queen is," Jessica took a half step forward, "Isabella Swan!"

Jessica turned to look at Alice with her mouth hanging open, but stepped back as she glared at Alice. Janet Stanley looked pissed off, but there wasn't anything she could do without making a scene. The girls pushed Bella out in front, and Esme came forward and pinned the tiara on top of her head. Bella just stared at the crowd, and kind of stood there with that deer caught in the headlights look. Then Esme handed her the Kings crown.

"Congratulations, Bella. Now to complete the ceremony our new Home Coming Queen will crown her Home Coming King. The votes have all been counted, and your 2006 Home Coming King is… Edward Cullen!"

There were applause, and the guys pushed me out into the middle in front of Bella. She looked at me with a wistful longing, and glanced back at Katy. Katy looked down and wouldn't meet her gaze, as she stood there beaten. Then Bella looked into my eyes and reached up and placed the crown on my head. "At least you're mine for one night," She whispered to herself.

We stood together and posed for pictures as the cameras flashed and people congratulated us, and then Alice tapped on the microphone to get everyone's attention.

"Now that we've crowned our royal couple, it's time for them to get this party started. King Edward, Queen Isabella, will you lead us with your first royal dance?"

Bella turned to glare at Alice, and the room lights dimmed so the two of us were captured in the light of a single spotlight. It was now or never, my moment of truth.

I turned to Bella and held out my hand. "Bella, love, shall we dance?"

Bella looked down at my hand chagrined, and turned away to flee, but there was nowhere for her to go.

I reached for her and caught her hand. It was hard and cold, but smooth and wonderful. I felt the electricity shoot through my palm and flash down my spine as I turned her to face me and took her other hand in mine. I looked deep into her eyes and the world stood still around us as everything else in the universe ceased to exist except for the only other person in all of creation that mattered. I stared into Bella's eyes and I knew that I was hers and she was mine.

I felt like I was staring straight into her soul as I gazed into her eyes, and I felt the mating bond to Bella surge between us and through us. The pull in my stomach had felt like a steel cable as thick as my wrist joining us together that day at the school when our bond was first forged, but this was so much more. I understood what Alice meant now when she said the connection was a thousand times stronger as the electric shock flashed down my spine, and radiated out to every part of my body. The electric feeling burned through me but felt like total bliss as a thousand steel cables as thick as my arm joined us together, welding Bella's soul to mine. I knew we were two halves of the same being now, and she was literally my other half.

Slowly it seemed I became aware of the universe again as my awareness expanded to take in the world around me, but my focus had changed. There were a thousand steel cables all tying me to one thing – to the very center of the universe.

I could see that now – how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain.

The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood. It was the girl in my arms that held me here now.

There was music playing, and we were at a dance. I was holding Bella in my arms as I stared down into her eyes. We swayed to the music, and all was right and correct in the world in that moment. I reached up and gently traced my fingers along her jaw and caressed the exquisite smoothness of her skin.

"I'm yours for more than one night. I want you Bella. I love you, and I'll gladly spend the rest of my eternity together with you. It's not the magic that's attracting me to you. I've made my decision Bella, and I want to be with you. I choose you Bella."

"You want me? I love you, Edward. I never thought this day would come… At least not so soon, I thought you wanted Katy… You told me this morning… I would have waited for you to finish with her if you wanted a family. I can't believe this is real…"

"This is real Bella. I love you and I'm yours. You don't have to wait… I wanted to talk to Katy so I could tell her I'd made my choice."

I leaned down as she tilted her head up to meet me. My lips met hers in a gentle chaste kiss. Her lips were wonderful and smooth and cool as I moved against her and my lips molded to hers. Our lips parted and I smiled as I looked into her eyes.

I heard an anguished moan, and it sounded like somebody was crying, but I was too caught up in the moment for it to fully register.

Bella moved her arms up from my waist to my shoulders and snaked her arms around my neck. She gently tangled her fingers in my hair as she pressed herself against me, pulling my face down to hers. I wrapped my arms tighter around her pulling her against me, and our lips met as we kissed. Her lips parted and her tongue ran across my lips as she begged for entry. My lips parted and I felt her tongue in my mouth on my teeth and then deeper as we moved together as one.

There was a tap on my shoulder, but I ignored it. There was another tap, and somebody cleared their throat. I looked up annoyed, and Carlisle was standing next to me with an apologetic look on his face.

"Edward, we're still at the dance… Believe me son, I understand, but we're in a public place. You need to get a hold of yourself."

I nodded, and took a half step back. Bella didn't want to let go, but she relaxed her grip on me and seemed satisfied to drape her hands and arms around my waist as she laid her head on my shoulder. Carlisle moved away once he was satisfied we weren't going to make a public spectacle of ourselves.

We weren't in the spotlight anymore, and other couples were dancing now, but there were a lot of people staring at us. It felt like an eternity had passed, but in reality it had probably been only a couple of minutes. I looked around the dance as I held Bella in my arms, enjoying the feel of her finally close to me.

Jessica Stanley looked like she was torn between being pissed off about the whole Home Coming queen thing, and ogling the apparent sudden change in mine and Bella's relationship. Mike looked jealous, but he was hanging around Jessica while trying to stay out of her way. Tyler gave me the thumbs up when I caught his eye, and Alice just had a huge grin plastered on her face.

I was going to have to have a talk with her about engineering this whole thing, but I wasn't too mad at her. How could I be mad when I had Bella in my arms now?

We turned as we swayed to the music. The doors of gym came into view, and pangs of regret shot through me as I saw Katy by the door, staring back at us. Tears were streaming down her face, and Michaela was leading her away, but she'd stopped to look back. Our eyes met, and I could read the betrayal, the hurt and sense of loss in her look as I held Bella in my arms. This wasn't over yet, and I still needed to talk to Katy. I couldn't let it end like this. I had to make a clean break and explain myself. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair to Katy. I couldn't simply cast her aside and take up with somebody else without telling her we were over.


	13. Bonfire

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I wanted to keep it separate from the previous chapter and the following chapter. Let the Drama continue. Please review and let me know what you think.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 12 Bonfire

I watched as Katy turned and fled out through the gym doors with tears streaming down her cheeks. Michaela turned and glared at me for an instant, and I could read the accusation and anger at my apparent betrayal of Katy's trust in her look, and then she turned and followed Katy out the doors. She was Katy's best friend and she left to find her and try to comfort her.

I knew I hadn't handled this well. I could have made this easier for Katy, but I couldn't leave Bella to follow after her. My bond to Bella was too new and too strong as I held her and let them leave. I knew I had to talk to Katy, but I couldn't do it in this instant. I'd told Carlisle that I felt evil and the villain for hurting Katy and leaving her for Bella. I knew it was still true as I watched them leave. I could still feel my love for Katy, but Bella was the center of my universe now.

I held Bella in my arms as we danced, and it felt right. I knew it was where I was supposed to be. It was where I needed to be, but I could feel my conscience weighing on me and intruding on my good mood and sense of well being. I'd made promises to Katy, and I was breaking those promises now. I knew I had to talk to Katy before I could truly be at peace with Bella. I'd told Katy that I'd never cheat on her while she was my girlfriend. It was beyond rude of me to have kissed Bella in the gym at the dance while I knew Katy was watching us. I knew what that must have done to Katy, but I hadn't been able to control myself in the heat of the moment. It was a thin excuse, but only another human that has felt the power of the mating bond in that instant could have understood how powerful the compulsion to be joined with Bella was. It was truly a supreme act of will power that had limited my actions to the barely socially acceptable level that I had been able to maintain so far.

I knew I had to talk to Katy before I could go any further. I had to let her go and tell her we were over. I was wrong to simply take up with Bella without talking to Katy first. I'm sure she knew already, but I owed it to her to talk to her and tell her in person, face to face, and make a clean break in our relationship. I couldn't truly explain to her why I was leaving her without putting her in danger, but I couldn't simply cast her aside either. She'd know if I lied to her, but if I exposed the secret to her then her life was forfeit. If she had to believe that I was a jerk and was leaving her after a year together because I'd found somebody else, then I would have to live with that guilt to protect her.

Bella and I spent most of the rest of the dance out on the dance floor as I held her in my arms and we moved together to the music. I really didn't want to ruin the mood, but I had to explain to Bella what I had to do.

"Bella, love, there's something I still need to do tonight… I still need to talk to Katy. I still need to tell her I've made my decision. I owe her that… I haven't handled this well, and I know she's hurting. I promised Katy I'd never cheat on her… I know she's feeling that I've betrayed her and broken her trust…"

"Is that the only reason, Edward?"

"No, I suppose if I'm totally honest, I have selfish reasons as well. You know I want you, and I need to be with you, but I feel bad about what I've done to Katy. I need to apologize to her, and try an explain myself, but part of that is to rationalize this to myself to make myself feel better about leaving her. I know that probably sounds bad, but it's the truth. I need to break up with Katy as much for my own peace of mind as hers."

"Ok. Let's find her and finish this. You're mine now, and I want you to be ok with this. I know if things had worked out differently I'd want you to tell me to my face. I probably wouldn't have handled it well. I probably would have run away, but it's what I would have needed if I were in her position."

"You want to come with me? You aren't going to hurt her, are you?"

"No, I'm not going to hurt her. There's a part of me that wants to, but I can control it. You're my mate, Edward, and I'll stand beside you and support you in whatever you have to do. I'll give you privacy to talk to her if you like, but I'll help you find her."

"And you aren't jealous? I thought you'd object to me talking to her…"

"I wouldn't say I'm not jealous. My instinct is to destroy her as my rival. You're mine, and I don't want that bitch anywhere near you. I really do want to kill her, but I'd like to think I'm better than that. We're bonded as mates, and she can't come between us. Examine your feelings for Katy now. Is there any possibility that you could want her anymore?"

I thought about what Bella had said. I thought about my feelings for Katy. I did still love her, but it was insignificant and paled in comparison to what I felt for Bella now. I would have to be a total male whore to even consider being with Katy now. I wasn't. I didn't think it would have been possible for me to want to be with Katy now. Bella was my universe and she was all I wanted now.

"Ok, I see what you mean… No, I couldn't be with her anymore. I need you, but I still need to talk to her. It's the right thing to do."

"That's why I'm not going to hurt her, Edward. That's why I haven't hurt her after all this time, when my instinctive reaction cried for her blood. We can rise above our instincts and control ourselves. Our sense of right and wrong, our intellect and force of will let us rise above our instinct to 'do the right thing'. We can choose not to be monsters."

"I'll never think of you as a monster, love. Alright, let's see if we can find her if she's still here." I took Bella's hand, and we left the dance floor to see if we could find Katy.

We made our way through the gym, but the crowd was already starting to thin out as people said their goodbyes and left for the night. I realized it was close to midnight now, and the dance would be ending soon. Bella asked Esme to check the ladies room, but Katy and Michaela weren't there this time. We went outside through the doors where Katy had fled earlier, and there were groups of people talking outside in the cool night air. There were couples together in the shadows, and I saw Bella scan the area. She took a deep breath, and turned to me and shook her head.

"She's not here, Edward. She must have left when she ran outside with Michaela. I'm sorry. I guess we should have tried to find her earlier."

"I'll drive over to her house, and talk to her there. I wanted to avoid a scene with her father, but I guess I'll have to face him eventually."

"I'll come with you, if you think it will help…"

"It's alright, Bella. I did this. I'll have to face Katy's father eventually…"

"Edward, Katy isn't at home," Brittany Jensen said behind me. She was coming out of the gym with Dean. "She went to the bonfire in La Push with Michaela. If you want to talk to her tonight, that's where you'll find her."

"Thanks' Brittany." She nodded, gave me a sad look, and then disappeared into the dark with Dean as they made their way to the parking lot and his car.

Bella waited until they were gone, and then she led me off to the side away from the doors so we could talk.

"Are you sure you need to talk to Katy tonight, Edward? I can't go to La Push with you. I'm not even sure it's still safe for you to go. I don't know what Sam will do… I don't like the thought of you going there by yourself, but I can't break the treaty. Sam Uley isn't going to invite me to come to La Push…"

"I have to end this, Bella… I can't keep putting this off until the time is convenient for me… This isn't just about me. I need to do this so we can have a future together. Katy deserves this much from me. Sam isn't going to do anything… I'm still human and the treaty doesn't prevent me from going to La Push. If anyone has broken the treaty, it's them, but I tricked Jacob into telling me the legends. I knew he didn't believe them, and Alice told me I'd learn about what you were that Saturday in La Push. I kept pushing until I got the story out of him…"

"I don't like this, Edward. You're already bound by the terms of the treaty, even if it doesn't prevent you from going onto their land. You're one of us now even if you haven't been changed yet. It isn't safe… I couldn't bear to lose you after you're finally mine…"

"I'll go with him, Bella." Alice stepped out of the shadows by the door. She'd already changed out of her dress and looked like she was ready to go. "Nothing's going to happen. It'll be ok. I'll take Edward to La Push to talk with Katy. Why don't you go find a snack or something? You've got to be starving, and you don't want anything…, unexpected… to interrupt the mood later… Ok? I'll feel better if you've hunted…"

Bella looked down, and I was sure if she could have blushed she'd be red halfway to her toes right now.

"Ok, Alice, you're right… I need to hunt… I'm just worried about Sam."

I reached up and took Bella's perfect jaw in my fingers, and raised her chin so I could look into her eyes.

"I'll be ok. I have to do this… I love you, Bella. I have to finish this. Sam won't do anything. Now go hunt… We'll be back in a couple of hours. Ok?"

I leaned down and Bella tilted her face up to me and our lips met. I felt the cool perfection of Bella's lips move on mine as my lips molded to hers. Her arms moved around my neck pulling me down to her as I wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her perfect body closer to me. My lips parted and our tongues met. It was slick and sweet and velvety strong. I felt the electricity flash down my spine and I had goose bumps on my skin as our kiss deepened and became more passionate.

I heard something, but it sounded faint and far away. Was that a hand on my shoulder? Suddenly reality flooded back into my awareness.

"Edward! Snap out of it! C'mon lover boy," Alice said as she shook my shoulder, trying to get my attention. She was trying to pull me away from Bella "Focus, Edward! This was your idea. Now, c'mon, let's get this over with, and then you'll have the rest of the night!

I took a half step back and broke our kiss. I heard a low growl come from Bella. Her eyes were darkening and turning black as she glared at Alice. I reached out and took her jaw in my hand and turned her head to look at me, and her eyes started to lighten as I stared into her eyes. I felt the tension go out of her and she relaxed as I ran my other hand up and down her back.

"I'm sorry, love. Go hunt and we'll be back soon. Ok?"

Bella nodded, and glanced at Alice a little sheepishly, "Sorry, Alice. I'm still working on that. It's a mate thing… I didn't mean to growl at you…"

"It's ok. I understand what you're going through. I've been doing enough growling myself the last couple of weeks to last a lifetime… At least now maybe Jasper will come to his senses… C'mon, Edward, Let's do this."

Alice turned away and started to walk to the Volvo. I caressed Bella's cheek one last time, and then stepped away. It was hard to move away from her. This was the farthest apart we'd been, and the first time I hadn't been touching her since I took her hand at the dance. It felt like I was pushing against a current that flowed toward Bella as I moved to follow Alice. I took another step, and then another. It became marginally easier the farther I moved away.

I glanced back at Bella and she seemed rooted to the spot and hadn't moved. Her eyes were closed tight and she looked like she was in pain. I steeled my resolve, turned away to walk to the car, and then suddenly in a rush it became easier to move. I glanced back again, and Bella was gone. I could feel her moving away south towards to denser forest south of town.

Before I'd touched her she would have long since been out of range for me to sense her presence if she was that far away, but now I could still feel her as she moved south of town past the last houses and entered the forest. I understood what Alice meant when she said that she knew that Jasper was close by now.

I got in the car, and Alice was waiting for me. We pulled to the exit from the parking lot, and it took all my will power to turn north onto Spartan Avenue to drive away from her. It was easier to turn left onto C Street, but it took another effort of will to turn right and north onto Forks Avenue. I was driving away from Bella, and it felt wrong although I understood what I had to do. I drove through town and past the city limits onto Highway 101 heading north out of town toward the turn off onto the 110 toward La Push.

The connection that I felt to Bella had been becoming more and more tenuous the farther north I drove. The familiar tug in my stomach felt like an elastic band stretched thin between us drawing us together. It felt like it was stretching thinner and thinner, more fragile with every mile that stretched between us. I was about to turn onto Highway 110 when I must have finally reached the new limit of my range.

Suddenly the elastic band broke and it felt like it ripped a huge gaping hole in my chest when it snapped back through me. I'd felt a dull ache in my chest before when I was separated from Bella, but just as the bond was a thousand times stronger now, so was the pain of separation. I gasped and almost lost control of the car as the pain slashed through my chest. I managed to pull over to the side of the road and stop as the pain of the loss overcame me. It was like the connection was violently broken and I could feel real physical pain as I was overcome with an anguished longing to turn back and be with Bella again.

"God, Alice! Is this what you've been going through? Does this get any easier to live with?"

"Not really. I suppose I've gotten used to it now, but it doesn't really get any easier as long as you're apart. You just learn to live with it. It's better when your mate is close enough that you can feel them. At least you know Bella will be waiting for you when you get home. Jasper is still in Seattle, since Esme came out here to be with dad. Carlisle has been with Esme ever since they made the bond so he has no idea what to expect. We should probably warn him if Esme hasn't already. Do you want me to drive, Edward?"

"No, I can handle it. It just took me by surprise. You should have said something…"

"Sorry, force of habit. I've been living with this need to know bullshit for so long; sometimes I forget the things that are ok to talk about."

"Is there anything else I should know?" I asked as I pulled back onto the highway and started toward La Push again.

"I'll let you know if anything comes to mind. Part of the deal that I made with Esteban was that Jasper would keep watching Bella until you either came around and accepted the bond, or your time ran out and they had to take your oath. He couldn't spend time with me because the bond is too distracting in the early stages. He wouldn't have been able to do his job if he was with me. He had to keep his distance, or he'd be watching me, not you and Bella. Now Jasper is free. Bella has passed her tests to officially join Esteban's household guard, and you've accepted the bond."

"So this is what you've been waiting for? If this is the early stage of the mating bond is it supposed to get easier later on? How long is this 'early stage' supposed to last?"

"Yeah, sorry if I've been kind of bitchy lately, but now you know what I've been living with all these weeks. As far as this 'early part' of the bond is concerned, it's different with every couple. At least that's what Bella told me. She's only really met two mated couples before but she's heard stories. Rose and Emmett in Seattle are mates, and Eleazar and Carmen in Alaska are mated. Bella told me this early stage doesn't last long, and should be over quickly."

"How long is 'quickly'?"

Alice chuckled. "You're quicker than I gave you credit for. Yeah, how long is quick for people that live forever? Bella said it's usually over in a decade or two, and then things should settle down and you'll start to feel normal again. Of course, is that human normal, or vampire normal? Considering none of us are vampires yet and she's only five years old. I guess that's something else we'll just have to experience to know what she's talking about."

"A decade or two! I'm going to feel like this every time I get more than a couple of miles away from her for the next twenty years?"

"Well, stick close to her, and don't get too far away. This is a survival instinct. You're stronger as a pair, and more likely to survive together than on your own. Besides, there are other benefits that outweigh the negative aspects, but I'll let Bella explain that to you. Your range is limited because you're still human. It's like that to make it easier for the vampire to find their mate and keep them close until they're changed. The range will increase exponentially when you're equals."

"Why does Bella need to tell me? What else are you hiding, Alice?"

"Bella needs to tell you because I'm not going to sit here and discuss the intimate details of your personal relationship. I love you, Edward, but you're still my brother! This is something you need to discuss with your mate."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, oh…"

"Ok, so when we get to La Push, is there anything I need to watch out for?"

"I'm not sure… La Push is always kind of sketchy for me. Easy things like the weather, the waves, and automatic stuff like that are easy and still come through, but it's like there are holes in what I see there… I still haven't figured it all out yet."

"Ok, that's not real helpful, but thanks' for letting me know."

"Edward, be careful what you say to Katy… I've been watching our path unfold for a long time, and I've had to make choices… You've had choices and you've had to live with the consequences. There are consequences for the choices I've made too… All I can tell you is that I've tried to steer us toward the path that keeps our family safe and strong…"

"Alice, what are you trying to tell me?"

"You know the law… Katy doesn't have a mate to protect her like you and me. She can't find out the secret or you know what will happen."

"I know, Alice. I've been worrying about this for weeks. I have to protect her, but she'll know if I lie to her. What else aren't you telling me? What are the consequences of these choices you've made?"

"You know I can't tell you or it will effect your decisions. Just think about what you say tonight. It's your only chance to effect how this plays out… Please don't hate me Edward, but I'm doing this for our family. I've probably already told you more than I should have… I'll do anything to protect Jasper. You have to know that I'll put you and Bella and Carlisle and Esme before anyone else to keep you all safe. I hate the choices I have to make, but I have to protect our family…"

"You're scaring me, Alice… Why can't you just trust me and tell me what you know?"

"I do trust you, Edward, but I told you not to fall in love with Katy over a year ago, and look where that got us! It's taken you five weeks to decide that you're supposed to be with Bella instead of Katy, and she's your goddamned mate! If I gave you all the options I've seen, it would take you weeks to agonize over all the details, and I'd be as blind as the kids at school! These situations require snap decisions to move to the best path, not weeks of deliberation. Maybe if you could get inside my head and see what I see, you'd be able to help, but you can't. I'm doing the best I can with what I've got to work with."

"Ok, Alice. You know I trust you, but we've got to work on this information transfer thing. I wish you'd share more details with me. I don't like being in the dark any more than you do, and not knowing doesn't help if I still make the wrong decision."

We were driving through La Push now, and I turned off La Push Road onto the side street that led up onto the bluffs overlooking First Beach. It was after twelve thirty in the morning now. It was probably closer to one, but there was loud music pounding out a beat up in the clearing at the top of the bluff. It was dark, but there were bright pockets of light around the bonfires burning on the bluff. There were a lot of people milling around, and I was careful as I pulled over to where the rest of the cars were parked off to one side along the north edge of the clearing.

We got out of the car to head over to the party. Alice had taken the time to change, but I was still wearing my suit. I took off my tie and threw it into the back seat and loosened the collar of my dress shirt, opening a couple of buttons.

I wasn't sure where we'd find Katy, and we headed for the first group of people around a bonfire. We weren't quite halfway there when I noticed movement to my left as we moved along the trail at the edge of the clearing next to the forest border. I'd been looking at the bonfire we were walking towards, and I'd lost my night vision. My eyes weren't adjusted to the dark, and I was startled when somebody grabbed my arm and turned me to face them.

It took a minute for my eyes to adjust enough to see who it was that had grabbed my arm. Jacob Black was standing on the little side trail. He wobbled a little like he'd been drinking. He had a haunted look around his eyes and face once my eyes adjusted enough to see some detail. He seemed upset and acted like he wanted to pull me down the side trial he was standing on.

"Edward, I was hoping you'd show up tonight." He glanced around a little apprehensively. "You're alone, right? Just you and Alice?"

"Yeah, Jacob, what's wrong? I thought you guys were throwing a party for Home Coming tonight?"

"Yeah, we're partying, but we gotta talk to you in private. C'mon, the guys are over here…"

Jacob started to lead me down the trail into the forest on the east side of the bluff. I followed Jacob down the trial, and Alice followed me. We weren't to far from the main clearing, but the trial dropped down to a lower level and went around a bend in the hillside effectively shielding it from the top of the bluff. There was another smaller campfire, and Quil, Embry, and Seth Clearwater were lounging around the fire. They were sipping on beers. Quil reached into a cooler and passed beers to us when we came over to the fire. We sat down on one of the blankets they had spread out on the ground by the fire and got comfortable leaning back against some fallen logs.

"Edward, man," Jacob started when we were settled. "I've been talking to the guys, and I gotta tell you…, we're kinda freaked out about that shit that went down at Sam's shop out at the airport last week."

I glanced at Alice, and she made a slight movement shaking her head no as she tilted her beer back to take a sip to cover the movement. She didn't want me to say anything, and expected me to play along.

"Yeah, Sam and the guys totally freaked me out with the guns and shit. I seriously thought Paul was gonna kill someone going off with that assault rifle like that."

Quil and Embry turned and looked at each other and nodded, like I'd confirmed something they'd been discussing. Seth just stared at me, and his eyes got big like he hadn't believed the story until I backed up what Jacob had told them.

"Edward, don't try and bullshit me! I was fucking there, man! I want the fucking truth! I've tried to talk to Sam and Paul and Jared, and they won't tell me shit! They just say chill out and wait. Either I'll know or I won't. What the fuck does that shit mean?"

"It's good advice, Jacob. Wait and see what happens. You don't want to get involved in this if you don't have to."

"Goddamn it, Edward! That's the same bullshit speech Sam's giving us. Goddamn it, I was there, and I know what I saw! I know what I felt! I'm the one that had a gun held to my head while you guys argued!"

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I never would have done anything to put you in danger If I knew Sam and the guys were gonna react like that."

"It's all fucking true, isn't it? That's what this is all about, the fucking treaty. That chick you brought to the shop, Bella, she's one of them. She's a Cold One, and that's why Paul and Jared freaked out!"

The rest of the guys kind of shuffled around and looked down. Quil and Embry wouldn't meet my gaze, but Seth seemed excited, as he waited for me to respond. Jacob glared at me, waiting for me to try and refute his claim.

"C'mon, Jacob, you said yourself that the legends are all a bunch of horseshit. This is the twenty-first century. There aren't any Cold Ones with glowing red eyes. Paul just freaked because she was wearing Moreno colors. Bella goes to Forks High School. She's a fucking cheerleader, man!"

The guys seemed to relax a bit, and looked back at Jacob to see how he'd react.

"Don't try and bullshit me, Edward. She grabbed me and held a gun to my head! Her hands were ice cold and she moved so fast. She dodged the bullets, tackled me, and held me until you guy's were done talking!"

"She was wearing leather gloves, Jacob! We'd been out cruising on our motorcycles for a couple of hours before we showed up at the airport. My hands were ice cold too. She's into martial arts like Alice, and Paul missed."

"Yeah, right, I'm not fucking blind, Edward! I knew she was different the second I saw her! I'm not stupid either. Don't you think I notice what goes on around here? How a lot of the guys change when they grow up. You know, when they get to be about my age! Paul and Jared, they were normal guys a year ago. Hell I went to school with them, and we grew up together. Then all of sudden they go through this weird growth spurt. It happens like that here in La Push. One summer they'll grow a fucking foot taller and put on a hundred pounds of solid muscle. I've watched it happen over the years…"

"Every year, a couple of guys get bigger, meaner; they get a short fuse and get pissed off at stupid shit. Most of them leave town and their families never hear from them again, but not Sam, or Paul and Jared. Sam left, but he came back and got a seat on the Tribal Council. I'm sure things would have worked out different if he hadn't stayed in La Push, but now Paul and Jared follow him around like he's the fucking second coming of Christ!"

"This is a small town, Jacob. A lot of kids leave home and don't come back. They've probably been dreaming about getting out their whole lives. What's so strange about that?"

"Nothing's strange about that if it didn't fit so well with the legends and the treaty."

"So what, you think they turn into werewolves? Are you listening to yourself? This is 2006, Jacob. This isn't the middle ages or some fairytale."

"Ok, Edward, I get it. So this is all just bullshit. The treaty doesn't mean anything. There aren't any monsters, and my ancestors just made up all the legends to scare each other and have a laugh around the campfire."

"It's not like that, Jacob. You should be proud of your cultural heritage."

"Yeah, right, I'll work on that. So this means I can say whatever I like to whoever I want. I don't have to protect the secret because there's no secret to protect. I could call a press conference, or write a book. Maybe go to the university in Seattle and tell them all of my people's legends, to record them for posterity."

"You should listen to Sam, Jacob," Alice told him. "He's looking out for you. He's doing the right thing."

"The right thing! I need to know what the fuck is going on so I can stop it! I don't want to be a fucking werewolf! Billy isn't one, I'd know. If my grandfather was one of them, how did it skip Billy?"

"You know the legends better than we do, Jacob," Alice told him. "If this was real and there was a way to avoid the change, you'd know more about it than we ever could. If you have questions about your father, why aren't you asking him?"

"I did, but he's as bad as Sam. Maybe worse, he wants me to change. He's hoping for it! Sam won't even admit that the legends are true. Maybe I should go to the university and talk to someone. Maybe that'll get their attention."

"You can't do that, Jacob." I said.

"Why not, Edward? Give me one good reason!"

I sighed. I couldn't keep doing this all night. "Because you're bound by the treaty, and it would be a violation of the treaty to tell anyone outside the tribe."

That got their attention. I heard Quil and Embry gasp, and Seth's mouth dropped open. They were all staring at me now.

"You're defending the treaty? You're not even Quileute. You wouldn't even know about the treaty if I hadn't told you!"

"No, I'm not Quileute, but I'm bound to defend the treaty with your people. I would have learned about the treaty whether you told me or not."

"Edward, that's enough!" Alice grabbed my arm to get my attention.

"He has a right to know, Alice! I went through the same bullshit, and he has a right to the truth!"

"Damn it, Edward! And you wonder why I don't share more with you? Sam had this under control! Its need to know information, and they don't need to know unless they're directly involved!"

"So it really is all true…" Jacob seemed to deflate a little, and sagged back against the tree trunk he was leaning back against.

"Jacob, we're not allowed to talk about this." Alice snapped at him. "You'll have to talk to Sam about this."

"Wait, you said you're bound to protect the treaty. You're not Quileute, but you would have found out anyhow… If you weren't going to learn about the treaty from us who would have told you about it?"

"Edward, remember what I told you. C'mon, we have to go find Katy. You can talk to her and then we need to go home!"

Alice was tense, and moving to get up. She placed her hand on my arm to get my attention, and pull me up, but I brushed her off and turned to look at Jacob.

"Not yet, Alice, he has a right to know the truth."

"Maybe, but it's not your place to tell him! Remember what I told you in the car! Now c'mon, we have to go right now!"

Alice was up on her knees now trying to grab my arm to pull me up and make me leave, but I ignored her, and held my ground.

"Isn't it obvious, Jacob? There were two parties to the treaty. If the Quileute's weren't going to tell us, then the other side would have to."

"Shit, they are real, aren't they…? Bella is one of them, and you're dating her… Are you fucking insane, Edward! You know what she is, and you want to be with her? She isn't even fucking human!"

Alice gave up and flopped back down and glared at me with a resigned look on her face and sadly shook her head at me. I suppose I'd failed her again, but I couldn't leave Jacob in the dark. I knew what that was like.

"It's complicated, Jacob… We all start out human. Sam was human once, and Bella was too… That's what Sam's waiting for… Why he won't tell you. He's waiting for all of you to change. I guess that's how they work it now, to protect the treaty. If you change, then they tell you everything, otherwise you don't need to know, and can stay blissfully ignorant. You wanted to know, so now you do."

"God, Edward! I warned you! I told you there were consequences, but you never fucking listen to me. Don't tell me I didn't warn you when this comes back on you!"

There was movement in the forest behind us, and I turned to see what it was. It was big and black and covered with fur. I grabbed Alice, and we scrambled to our feet. I jumped back around the fire as the wolf walked out of the trees. Alice scuttled back defensively, but I doubt there would have been anything she could have done but run for her life. Jacob gaped in awe and Quil and Embry jumped up ready to run, but they waited defensively to see what would happen. Seth was frozen, staring with his mouth hanging open as the huge black wolf walked into the tiny clearing in the trees.

It was covered with black fur, and it was shaped and proportioned like a powerfully built wolf, but it was as big as a horse. Alice wouldn't even come up to its shoulder if she was standing next to it, and the top of its head was taller than me. The giant wolf was standing still looking at us, and then it seemed to rear up on its hind legs. At first I thought it was going to attack, but I didn't feel any hostile intent coming from it. Its form became indistinct and seemed to melt and flow as it shifted to a smaller more compact shape, and suddenly Sam Uley was standing in front of us where the giant wolf had stood.

"Jesus, they aren't fucking legends! It really is all true!"

"Yeah, it's all true, Jacob," Sam said as he reached behind himself and pulled a pair of shorts around from behind his back and quickly pulled them on. "You guy's weren't supposed to find out like this. We only tell the new wolves after they phase for the first time. The transition and adjustment period can be traumatic. If you never took the wolf, then you weren't supposed to ever learn about this."

"You might want to rethink that strategy, Sam. Bella was telling me that their newborns make a much smoother transition if they know what to expect going in. It makes the change easier."

"Well, I guess we'll have a chance to test that theory thanks to you. You shouldn't have said anything, Edward."

"I couldn't stand by and leave Jacob in the dark. I owed him that much. It's harder not knowing, dealing with half-truths and people that dance around the subject but won't give you a straight answer. It was worse knowing that something was going on, but people that were supposed to be my friends wouldn't trust me with the truth."

"So why are you still here, Sam?" Alice asked. "No offense, but I figured you would have gone to Seattle and sold out for the cash. I think I met one of your cousins working for the Moreno's. Big guy named Josh. Ring any bells?"

"It isn't always about money, Alice. I do alright on my own, and Emily wouldn't have fit into that life. Bella said Edward was her mate. You know what that bond is like. We have something similar. When a wolf imprints on a human, they become the center of our universe, and we become whatever they need. Our bond is one-sided, and only the wolf feels the connection, but it's just as strong and just as permanent. I couldn't take Emily to Seattle, so I became what she needed and now I protect La Push like my ancestors did."

"Ok, that's all just great, I'm happy for you Sam. You've found your true calling in life. So how do I stop the change from happening? What if I don't want to be a wolf? Billy didn't take the wolf, neither did Seth's dad. Why didn't they change?"

"Sorry, Jacob, it's too late for you. The ability to phase is genetic. You've got it on both sides of your family, and your grandfather was Ephraim Black. You're in the direct line of Chiefs, and you've already been exposed to the catalyst, so it's pretty much a given that you'll take the wolf. Seth here might have been able to avoid it, but I doubt it now."

"Shit, Sam! What did you do to me? How was I exposed to this catalyst? Is it some kind of drug or something?"

"No, nothing like that, it's purely environmental. Our genetics react to the presence of the Cold Ones. We don't know exactly what the trigger is, but Harry, Billy and old Quil never took the wolf because they were never exposed to vampires when they were the right age. They out grew it after a couple of years, and they just never phased. As far as we can tell, most of the Quileute tribe carries the gene, but it takes the right combination of hormones and exposure to vampires to trigger the change. It usually happens close to the end of puberty, when you leave childhood behind and become a young man. If the change isn't triggered, then you outgrow the ability as your body changes."

"I ran away from home and went to Seattle that summer to get away from La Push. Fucking Seattle is the vampire capitol of the Pacific Northwest, and there was no way I could avoid being exposed living there. I came running back here after the first time I changed to talk to old Quil. I'd heard the legends, but I never believed them until I phased that first time. He helped me adjust and learn to control it, and then I imprinted on Emily. I couldn't leave after that."

"Same thing happened with Paul and Jared. They were making runs to Seattle when they started to work for me and got exposed in the city just like me. That's why I was keeping you and Quil and Embry away from the city. I was trying to give you a chance at a normal life, but that's pretty much shot now. There are vampires living in Forks, and that's close enough to expose all of you. Hell, Bella's even been out to the shop, and she was close enough to touch you Jacob. It's just a matter of time now. Like Paul said, either you'll know by thanksgiving, or it won't fucking matter."

"Shit! So that's it? I'm just supposed to accept that I'm going to turn into some kind of monster?"

"It's not so bad once you get used to it, Jacob. I hear the money's good if you sell out to the Clans as one of their goons. They'll teach you how to fight, and treat you like a king until someone gets the drop on you and cut's your head off or something. Otherwise it's pretty peaceful here in La Push these days. There hasn't been a vampire attack on our side of the line in fifty years according to the council records."

"La Push is off limits, Sam. Their guards patrol their side of the treaty line to keep them out. The only vampires that are going to wander into your territory are deranged nomads that don't know any better, or want to die anyhow and come here to suicide."

"Huh, makes sense, I guess. They got a good thing going with a steady stream of new wolves coming out of here for them to buy off as guards. So what about you, Edward? You seem to know everything now. How much longer are you going to be human? You know if you let her change you, you won't be able to come back to La Push. You won't even be able to stay around here. You'll be the monster then. At least we don't eat people."

"We haven't worked out the details yet, Sam. Maybe after graduation… They don't eat people either anymore. They control their urges… It just takes time to adjust. They don't have to kill to feed."

"Yeah, but they want too. Maybe more of them than you know about. There's more going on than you know or they've told you. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life… She's your mate, and I know how strong that is. You couldn't fight it if you wanted too. Just keep your eyes open. Don't let them bullshit you, Edward. You're a smart guy, stay safe mon ami."

"Thanks' Sam, I'll be okay… Thanks' for the heads up. Are you gonna be okay Jacob? What about the rest of you? Are you cool with this?"

"No, I'm not 'cool' with this! My whole fucking world view just shifted, Edward! I just found out that all the legends I grew up thinking were bullshit are the real oral history of my people! It's all fucking true, and I'm going to fucking turn into some kind of monster because your new girlfriend moved to town!"

"Shit happens, Jacob. You take the hand life deals you, and roll with it. Your grandfather knew that. Give it some time, man."

"She's a fucking monster, Edward! And you want to be a monster like her!"

"It's better than being dead! I love her, Jacob. She's my soul mate, and I want to be with her. I need her, and if I have to change so we can be equals, then so be it."

Jacob turned and looked at Sam again. "This is why you dumped Leah, isn't it. She was crushed when you broke up with her, and started dating her cousin! It's all part of this imprinting thing. Is that going to happen to me too? Am I going to suddenly find somebody I fall in love with and do that to Leah all over again?"

Then Jacob turned back to me. "This is why you're breaking up with Katy isn't it? Bella showed up and she imprinted on you! You're dumping Katy because you're caught up in some kind of crazy magic. How can you be ok with this! It's just wrong, man!"

"Bella didn't imprint on Edward." Alice told him. "That's a wolf thing, but the mating bond works kind of like that. Some of Bella's people go for centuries without ever finding their mate. Some never do. It doesn't pick the person for us, it let's us know who they are when we find them."

"And that's better somehow? What about the people that you've chosen to be with before you find this soul mate of yours? They're just shit out of luck, and get cast aside so you can be happy?"

"They're human; they'll heal and move on. I suppose it'll really suck for Leah if you imprint, but that doesn't always happen, does it?"

"No, imprinting is uncommon," Sam said. "We think it's a way to limit the population. Wolves that imprint are exclusive to their imprint partner, and remain steadfastly faithful. Wolves that don't imprint seem to have a heightened libido, and the urge to seek out many different partners. It's a genetic imperative to spread the wolf gene and increase the population."

"Oh this just gets better and better. So I'm either going to find my one true love and dump my girlfriend to be with her, or I'll be a fucking man whore that's unable to commit and wants to get laid by anything that moves on two legs? Even if I don't find somebody else, I'll still drive Leah away if she isn't enough for me. How does this not make me a monster?"

"I'm sorry, Jacob. You wanted to know the truth. Is it any easier knowing? Sometimes I wish things were the way they were before Bella came to forks, but I can't turn back the clock, and even if I could I can't say I'd want it to turn out differently. You guy's take it easy. I need to find Katy, and talk to her. That's why we came out here tonight."

"I don't think that's going to be too difficult, Edward," Alice said.

She nodded over her shoulder back toward the trail when I turned to look at her. I turned and looked back, and Katy was standing in the trees on the trail we'd walked down to this clearing. Her eyes were wide as she stood staring at us from the shadows. I could see the horror in her eyes and I knew she'd seen and heard too much. She turned and fled back up the trail when she saw me turn to look at her.

Shit! How long had Katy been standing there listening to us!

"Katy, wait! We need to talk!" I turned and ran after her.

I got back up to the top of the bluff, but she was gone. I looked around for her as my eyes adjusted to the dark again. There, she was heading toward one of the bonfires. I spotted Michaela, and Brittany and Dean were over there too. It looked like there were a lot of kids from Forks there. I saw Mike and Jessica, and Tyler and Lauren. I ran after Katy, and caught up to her halfway across the bluff in the dark between the bonfires.

I grabbed her wrist to stop her. She spun around to face me. I wasn't expecting the blow as she slapped me hard across the face. She raised her hand to slap me again, but I grabbed her other wrist to stop her.

"Let me go, Edward! I don't have anything to say to you!"

"Well I do! Calm down, Katy, can't we discuss this like adults?" I felt her relax a little, and I let go of her wrists.

"Fine, what can you possibly still need to say to me?"

"How much did you hear?"

"I heard everything, Edward! I didn't believe any of it until Sam came out of the forest and changed in front of you. She isn't even human, Edward! She's a fucking vampire! And you want to be one too! God, is this some kind of crazy nightmare? Why can't I just wake up and make all of this go away!" She was crying again as the tears ran down her cheeks.

"You aren't dreaming, Katy. It's all real. I didn't want any of this. You know I still love you."

She raised her hand to slap me again. "You know it's true. I can't lie to you," and she dropped her hand.

"Katy, you know I'll always love you, but I can't be with you anymore. You deserve somebody who can be committed to you alone. I had to make a choice, and I want to be with Bella. She's my soul mate. I can feel it now, and I know she's my true other half. If I tried to stay with you I'd always feel my connection to her, drawing me back to her. That isn't fair to you. I have to let you go so you can move on. In time you'll find somebody else…"

"I don't want anyone else, Edward. I love you."

"You need to forget about me and move on, Katy. We have no future together. I don't want to hurt you, but we can't be together anymore."

"This is that crazy magic thing you guys were talking about, isn't it! That's what's sucked you in. It's like you're under some kind of spell or something. I'm not going to let that bitch have you without a fight!"

"Katy, no, it isn't like that. Bella is my mate, and I want to be with her."

"Your mate? Do you listen to yourself? Who talks like that? Girlfriend, I can understand. Wife, I can understand, but humans don't have 'mates'. You're still human, Edward. A couple of weeks ago you wanted to be with me! I was your whole world. I was your girlfriend until that creature came to Forks and ruined everything! If I kill that bitch, will it break her hold over you? What do I have to do, drive a stake through her heart?"

"NO, Katy! You can't hurt her like that!"

"God, she's got her claws in deep doesn't she! I'm not going to give up on you, Edward!"

"Katy, please listen to me! You can't hurt her. You can't let them suspect that you know what they are. If they even suspect that you know their secret, they'll kill you. The only reason I'm safe is because Bella is my mate, and they know I'll be like her."

"How can you want that, Edward? Jesus, it was bad enough when you were just dealing a little on the side. I didn't like it, but I could understand it. It even made sense with your dad's clinic. He's helping people that have a real need for it. I went down there tonight because you went to talk to Jacob, and I thought they were trying to pull you in deeper with their drug business. Then I heard what you guys were talking about. This is so much worse, Edward! She's a monster! They're all monsters! And now you want to be a monster too!"

"They aren't monsters, Katy. They're just different."

"She doesn't age, and lives forever, right? How old is she?"

"No, they don't age after the change, but she's only twenty-two"

"Well not exactly cougar town. She drinks blood?"

"Yeah."

"Human blood from people?"

"Sometimes, but they don't kill them."

"And that makes it ok? Maybe she doesn't burst into flames in the light of day, but that's still monster in my book!"

"I don't think of her as a monster. I love her Katy.

"How can you say that, Edward, when you know what she is!"

"I'm sorry, Katy. I have to make a clean break so you can move on with your life and find somebody that can commit to you."

She winced in pain at my words and turned away for a minute. There were fresh tears were running down her cheeks when she turned back to face me.

"Don't do this, Edward. Let's leave and run away from here tonight. Just you and me, I still want you, Edward."

"I can't do that Katy. I'm bonded to Bella now. The connection is too strong. I couldn't leave her if I wanted to. I love her more now."

"You're breaking my heart, Edward. I love you! I still need you!"

"I'm sorry, Katy, I really am… but I love Bella now. She's my world now."

"How can you do this to me if you still love me? Doesn't what we've shared together mean anything to you?"

"I do still love you, Katy, but I can't be true to you. I'd just go on hurting you if I tried to stay with you. I'll always cherish the memories of the time we shared together, but I've made the bond with Bella, and I have to move on. Please try to understand. You know I'm not lying to you when I tell you I love you, but I love Bella too, and I've made my choice."

"You're right, you can't lie to me, but I wish you would this once... Please, lie to me and tell me you still want me. I'll still love you…"

"I can't lie to you, Katy. I love Bella."

"I know you believe it's true."

"It is true."

"It's really over, isn't it? This is what you want…" Katy reached into her pocket and took something out.

"I'm sorry, Katy. It's what I want. I don't want to hurt you, but I have to break up with you. I choose to be with Bella. I love her, and I need to be with her."

"Here, this is yours, Edward. If you're breaking up with me, then I don't want it anymore." I held out my hand, and she dropped my class ring onto my palm.

"I'm sorry, Katy… I didn't want it to end like this."

"Yeah, well I didn't want to lose you, Edward. I thought we'd be together forever."

"Goodbye, Katy. You know you can't tell anyone about her. Please remember that. If you reveal the secret, they'll kill you, and I won't be able to protect you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Yeah, right, who'd believe me anyhow? Stay safe, Edward. Stay human as long as you can. You know I'll wait for you if you change your mind…"

"No Katy, this part of my life is coming to a close. I'll be with Bella now."

"I guess this is it then… Goodbye Edward…"

She turned and hurried away toward the bonfire where the rest of the kids from Forks were still partying. She didn't look back, and I stood and watched her walk away. Michaela was waiting for her, and hugged her, wiping away her tears and held her while she cried. At least she had a friend she could count on. I felt somebody walk up beside me while I watched the crowd gather to find out what was wrong with Katy. I looked to my side, and Alice was standing there.

"I'm sorry, Edward, are you alright? Alice asked.

"No, but I'll live. C'mon, let's get out of here."

"Ok. Do you want me to drive?"

"No, I can drive."

We got back in the Volvo and I got us turned around and back onto La Push Road heading east back to Forks.

"So what happened after I left?"

"Sam got everyone heading back home so he could talk with them in private later. Quil and Embry were a little shaken up by everything, but they're dealing. Seth just thinks it totally cool, and can't wait for it to happen to him, but he's a couple of years younger. He probably has longer to wait than the rest, unless something drastic happens."

"Drastic? Like what?"

"Sam said a big dose of the catalyst all at once could put his system into overdrive and force the change even at his age. You know something like a massive vampire attack on La Push, or visiting one of the clubs and being in a room full of vampires all night."

"He wouldn't do that would he?"

"I wouldn't put it past him, if he wants it bad enough."

"Huh. Ok. What about Jacob? Is he alright?"

"Jacob was still pissed off, and didn't look to be calming down anytime soon. He took off into the woods and wouldn't listen to any of us. Sam thinks it's a sign that he's close to phasing. The anger is one of the warning signs. He said he'd go look for him after he got the rest of them home safe."

"Shit, that's all we need now. A brand new werewolf running around La Push, that's pissed off and blaming Bella for making him change! Can this get any better?"

"Edward, there's something else you need to understand…"

"What Alice?"

"I warned you not to say anything. I told you there are consequences for our actions…"

"What are you trying to say Alice? I'm really not in a mood for cryptic comments and beating around the bush tonight. Just spit it out and tell me."

"They're going to kill her, Edward. You have to realize that Katy doesn't make it out of this ok. She knows too much. She knows too much because you couldn't keep your mouth shut when I told you to."

"Have you seen it?"

"No, I haven't seen it. The future is constantly in motion, and the decision hasn't been made yet."

"Then how can you know?"

"She's a seventeen year old girl, Edward, and you just told her to keep a secret that she can be killed for. She'll tell someone, and they'll find out. She's already on their radar because of your connection to Bella. They're watching her. If that conversation had taken place anywhere else besides La Push they'd already know. One e-mail, a text message, a comment on a cell phone, that's all it'll take and they'll know. It's not a question of whether or not they'll find out, but when, and how many people she'll take down with her."

"What do you mean 'how many people she'll take down with her'?"

"Collateral damage. They'll kill her, whoever she tells, and anyone else they think they need to kill to make sure the secret is safe. It'll look like an accident. Maybe a crash on the highway, a gas explosion, food poisoning, something random, but it won't be an accident."

"Alice, we can't let this happen!"

"I'm not arranging it! I'm just telling you what's going to happen! You should have kept your mouth shut when I told you!"

"What can we do?"

"I can call Jasper. It'll be quick and painless. Nobody else will die…"

"I meant what can we do to keep her safe!"

"You know the options. They're the same ones you had to choose from. She can die, she can register and give her oath to protect the secret, or she can be one of us. You and I both know she can't keep the secret, and she'll never willingly be one of us. That limits our options, Edward."

"There has to be another way…"

"I don't like it either, but it's the way our world works now. I'm trying to minimize the damage and save lives here. How many people have to die because of your mistake? The longer we wait, the more people will die. What if she goes home and tells Michaela while she's crying on her shoulder tonight, or heaven forbid she makes the wrong comment to Jessica. We could lose half of Forks high school over this."

"Katy's not that stupid, Alice. She won't screw this up."

"Well, somebody is going to have to have a talk with her to explain the realities she's going to have to live with. You and Bella are out, and I doubt she'll take me seriously enough. I suppose Esme can talk to her. I'll ask her when we get home if she's not upstairs with Carlisle."

"Esme will scare the shit out of her, and she'll probably arrange the hit herself if this is as serious as you say it is. Isn't there something else we can do?"

"God, Edward, you're as bad as Bella! You two were made for each other! Katy needs a good dose of scared shitless right now! That's the whole point of talking to her if you want her to stay alive! You go and tell someone be careful, don't do anything reckless or stupid… Here, guard this secret like your life depends on it, because it does mind you, but then you don't give her any details! She won't last two days, and she's gonna take at least one other person with her when she goes."

"Fine, have Esme talk to her, but we have to keep her safe. She deserves a normal life. I don't want anything to happen to her because of me."

"She's never going to have a 'normal' life now, Edward. Her eyes have been opened, and now she knows the truth. She'll never look at the world with the same innocence she had before tonight. The best we can hope for is that she survives this."

I just nodded and accepted the truth of Alice's statement. I was responsible for whatever happened to Katy now, and it was my fault that her eyes had been opened. I suppose Jacob was my fault too. Bella and Jasper had made the decision to move to Forks, but I had taken her to the airport, and exposed him to the catalyst to trigger his change. I was the one that had confirmed that the legends were all true for him, but it was already too late for him to do anything about it. I just hoped Jacob could forgive me, and wouldn't hold a grudge.

I drove us back towards Forks and Bella. It was a relief when I finally got close enough, and I could feel my connection to her snap back into place drawing me towards her. I felt a sense of relief as we turned back onto the 110 heading east towards highway 101. I was moving closer to where I needed to be. We were still miles from Forks, but Bella must be home now. I had been through a lot tonight. I wanted to put all of this behind me and move on. I needed Bella now, and I knew she'd be waiting for me when I got home.


	14. The girl who owns my soul

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Ok, I know this is weeks late, but I found some really cool fics to read and was spending more time reading that writing. A bunch of my favorites got updated, and I re-read all four original books and midnight sun again after I went to see Eclipse.

I've been working on this chapter for a while now, but it just kept growing and growing. When I hit fifty pages, and I still didn't have all the plot points in, I chopped it in half and renumbered my outline. The good news is that I'm over halfway done with the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take as long to get out as this one did.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 13 The girl who owns my soul

It was nearly three o'clock in the morning when I finally pulled into the garage and parked the Volvo back at home in Forks. The Home Coming after party had still been going strong when we left La Push. The kids that were out there would probably party all night long to meet the dawn, and then go home to sleep all day. Alice and I got out of the car to go into the house. The porch light was still on for us, but the rest of the house was dark.

I opened the door and we went in. I was startled when I turned on the light and Esme was curled up in a chair in the living room apparently reading a book. It was dark in the house before my hand found the light switch, but she was calmly sitting there waiting for us to come in. There was a drink on the end table next to her, and she was smoking a cigarette. She looked up and smiled at us when I turned on the light. This was still going to take some getting used to. Apparently she didn't need the light to see in the dark well enough to read.

"Good morning Edward, Alice, did you find Katy?"

"Yes, I talked to Katy, but it's complicated…"

"Edward, go up to Bella. You know you want to. I'll talk to Esme and explain everything. Ok?"

"Ok. Goodnight Esme. Thanks' Alice, please remember what I told you. Goodnight." I turned and walked to the stairway.

"Goodnight, Edward," Esme told me. I nodded and started up the stairs.

"Esme, there were some complications tonight. I was wondering if you…" I stopped listening to Alice. I didn't want to deal with that anymore tonight.

I walked down the hallway to my door. I knew Bella was waiting for me inside. I could feel her through the closed door. I opened the door and stepped into the room. Bella was sitting in the rocking chair next to my bed. She was wearing the pair of blue harem pants and matching cami that I had become familiar with when she'd spend the night with Alice. The room was dimly lit with candles burning on the nightstand and my desk giving the room a soft romantic glow.

"So Katy knows? Do you want to tell me about it?" Bella asked as she set down her book and got up out of the chair.

"How do you…"

"Alice just told Esme. I heard her. So now Esme is going to have to talk to Katy? Do you think that's a good idea? You didn't seem to react to her to well." She said as she crossed the room to me.

"Alice doesn't think she'll be able to keep the secret, and she'll die if she can't. I guess Alice wants Esme to scare her, and let her know how serious this really is…"

"Well she's right about that. Esme's a real pro at giving newbies 'The Talk'. I know she scared the piss out of me. Katy will be ok as long as she doesn't try anything stupid."

She stood in front of me and took the lapels of my jacket and pushed it open and down off my shoulders. I slipped out of it, and she tossed it over the back of the chair by the desk…

"I don't want to talk about Katy tonight. So, did you…, hunt? How long have you been back? Did you wait up for me?" I asked as I took her in my arms and held her.

I knew she probably had from the golden butterscotch color of her eyes. She snaked her arms around my waist and pressed herself up against me. It felt good to finally be holding her again after the trip out to La Push.

"Yes, I hunted. You know, there's actually quite a bit of game around here locally. It's really convenient as long as you don't mind mule deer and elk. Esme actually likes deer," she shivered a little at the thought. "I'd prefer more predators, but I didn't want to have to go too far. It's quite a trip to find really good hunting. I've been back for a while, but I didn't really wait up for you."

"You didn't…? But you weren't in bed… I figured you'd be asleep when we got back…"

"Umm… I thought you knew… I don't sleep."

"Not at all…? But I've seen you sleeping in Alice's bed when you stayed with her for sleepovers... You spent the night after almost all of the football games… You were sleeping when she came to the door to talk to me that one morning."

"I was pretending, Edward. I haven't slept since I was changed. We don't sleep…, at all… None of us do."

"Ok… That'll take a little getting used to… So what do you do at night?"

"Usually I watch you sleep…"

"You do? How long have you been watching me? I thought I could feel you here in the morning when I'd get up… How were you getting in? I checked all the doors and windows…"

"Well…, since the first week of school… Once I was sure I wasn't going to hurt you… for the last couple of weeks, Alice has been letting me in. Before that, you didn't bother to check the attic window. It squeaked a little as first, but it was fine after I oiled it and got it to move freely in the casing."

"The attic window? I suppose that makes sense. I didn't know you could get to that one when I was checking the locks. You wanted to hurt me?"

"I'm sorry, Edward, I'd never do anything to hurt you, but you just smelled so good. It was very distracting at first. I didn't know if I'd be able resist when I first met you, but I wasn't going to be like James… I wasn't going to force you like what happened to me… It took me a couple of days, but I realized I was more attracted to you as a person than I was attracted to your blood…"

"If you want my blood, you can have it. You're my world now. I'll do anything for you, Bella…" I felt her tense a little as her shoulders tightened and I needed to change the subject. "So when you're not watching me, what do you do at night?" Then I felt her relax again.

"C'mon, let's get more comfortable. You must be tired. It's been a long day for you…" Bella stepped back and took my hand to lead me to the bed. "Get ready for bed, and then we can talk." She reached up and started to unbutton my shirt for me.

I toed off my shoes and stepped out of them, kicking them off to the side. Bella was done with my shirt, and reached for my belt. I unbuttoned the cuffs of my shirt, slipped out of it, and tossed it on top of my jacket. Bella had my belt open now, but she stopped with her hands in the waistband of my pants as she fingered the button, and then looked up into my eyes a little hesitantly.

"Edward, I know we're both feeling a lot of emotions right now and there's so much drawing us together… I want you. My body craves your touch…, but I'm scared… I don't know how much Alice told you about my past…"

"Alice wouldn't tell me anything. Just the basics about where you're from and when you left home, but she didn't feel it was right of her to break your trust to give me any details until you were ready to talk to me…"

"Alice is a good friend. I'm not an innocent little virgin who's shy about her first time, Edward." She looked down and wouldn't meet my gaze. "I've been hurt before… before my thirteenth birthday… when I was little… he forced me to do things…. I haven't been with another man since then… I love you, Edward, and I need you so much… But this is hard for me…"

I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. "It's ok, love, we'll take as much time as you need." I kissed the top of her head, and just held her until I felt her relax against me. "Let's lie down, and we can talk. I just want to hold you and be with you if that's ok... We'll go at whatever pace you're comfortable with. Ok?"

I felt her nod against my chest, and I felt her unfasten the button on my pants. She eased them down over my hips, and I stepped out of them as Bella stepped back and reached to turn down the bed. I was standing there in my black satin boxer briefs and my t-shirt as Bella slipped into my bed and held the covers back for me. I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off my socks. I got in next to her and pulled up the covers. Bella cuddled up next to me moving into the embrace of my arms as she laid her head on my chest and draped her arm across my stomach.

It felt so good to finally be holding Bella in my arms as we lay in my bed. My body had been crying out for this closeness since that first day in AP Chemistry when I first sat next to her. I knew she needed time to adjust, and I was willing to take as much time as she needed to be able to accept this, but my body was reacting to finally holding her so close in my arms like this. I knew she was aware of my arousal because her thigh was pressed up against my erect cock as she lay cuddled with me, rubbing up against me with her leg nestled between mine.

"Do you want to talk about what happened? I'll listen if you want to get it out… If you think it will help…"

"I don't want to talk about that tonight, Edward… I don't want to be that scared little girl anymore… That was another life. I just wanted you to know why I might hesitate or feel tense at times. It isn't because of you, it's me. Alice has been helping me work through it. I understand what she means about not being a victim anymore. Ask me about something else tonight."

"Alright… How about the question I asked you before. So, what do you do at night when you're not watching me?"

"I do whatever I'd be doing during the day, except its dark out. It's a little more difficult for some things like shopping. Most human businesses cater to humans and they're closed at night. Small towns can be a real pain that way, but most of the larger cities have stores and other businesses that are open twenty-four hours. A lot of businesses will offer late night services for the right price."

"So that's the sunlight thing again. I still don't understand… You go to school and cheerleading practice. I've seen Esme and Emmett at my cross country meets. Jasper met us at the Police Station in Port Angeles on Wednesday morning. You're out in the daylight all the time. It's not like you burn in the light of day or anything… What's the problem with sunlight?"

"Think about it… You've only seen us out during the day when it's overcast or cloudy out, which is most of the time around here. You've never seen us out in direct sunlight. We'd stand out on a bright sunny day, and you'd know we were different. It can kill us if we're trapped out in the direct bright sunlight for too long. That's why the Pacific Northwest and Seattle are so popular with vampires. We can go out during the day when it's overcast or cloudy enough that the sun doesn't shine through. Its overcast so much and rains so often in Forks that Jasper and I were actually able to even sign up to go to high school here."

"It can kill you? I thought I noticed your face glow and sparkle when you were caught in the sun at the meadow by Ozette Lake. It looked like you were wearing glitter makeup for a second, but I knew I hadn't seen any when we were talking. Is that what you're talking about? Did that hurt you?"

"It's not like that… Like you said, we don't burst into flames. It just felt warm, and I liked it. I guess sparkle is a pretty good description of how we react to direct sun. It's a diffraction reaction when the sunlight reflects off of our skin and breaks up into colors. Our skin crystallizes and slowly boils away. That's what causes all the colors as it breaks up the sunlight, the same way raindrops make a rainbow. We heal fast enough that we don't even feel it, but it drains our energy reserves. I could stay out in the sun all day if I had to, but then I'd probably need to hunt. If I were trapped out in the sun for days and couldn't feed, it would deplete my energy until I couldn't heal the damage anymore, and then it would kill me."

"So that's where the myth about vampires being creatures of the night and fearing the daylight comes from?"

"Yeah, pretty much. In most of the world, that's how vampires live. They stay in during the day and avoid the sun when there are humans around to notice them. They only come out at night so they don't stand out and attract attention. Twilight is the safest part of the day for us. It's the edge of night where we can blend in and still interact with humans without standing out and revealing our true nature."

"Will you show me what you look like in the sun sometime? I only caught a glimpse that Saturday, but you were so beautiful. It took my breath away."

"Ok…, if you like… I don't like to stand out… I don't want to scare you off…"

"Bella, you were beautiful and nearly dazzled me motionless. I had to force myself to dash after you so I wouldn't get lost in the forest when I just wanted stand and stare at the radiant goddess in that shaft of sunlight. Besides, you can't scare me off. I'm yours now. You can't get rid of me that easily." I kissed the top of her head and inhaled her exquisite scent as I stroked her hair and rubbed her back.

"You think I'm beautiful? Just in the sunlight…? I always thought I was kind of plain…"

"You don't see yourself clearly. You are anything but plain, love. The school didn't just vote you Home Coming Queen because Alice rigged it. I think that's what Jessica's mom was trying to do, but the kids at school know who the hottest girl at Forks high school is."

"I'm not hot… The Quileutes didn't just come up with the name Cold One for nothing… That doesn't bother you? That I'm not soft and warm like Katy?" She was slowly tracing patterns on my stomach through my t-shirt. Her fingers moved over the lines of definition on my stomach as her fingers lightly moved along my abdominal muscles.

"No, that doesn't bother me… You don't feel as cold now as you did at the dance… When Esme touched me before at the cross country meet her hands were almost icy, but it was a cold day… You're actually almost warm now… Kind of pleasantly cool, nowhere near icy, and you are soft. Your skin is silky smooth and perfect to my touch." I gently ran my finger tips across her jaw and caressed her cheek.

"I took a hot bath after I came back from hunting and soaked in the tub… We feel cold to your touch because our bodies don't produce their own heat anymore. Our temperature adapts to the same temperature as our environment to help us blend in. If I soak in a hot tub, my body will absorb the heat out of the bath to adjust to the water temperature, but I cool of the water at the same time unless I keep adding more hot water."

"If I laid here under the covers in you arms long enough, I'd warm up to the same temperature as you, but I'd be stealing your heat. We should probably get you an electric blanket so I don't steal your body heat and make you too cold. It'll keep you warm and help me warm up too."

"Ok, that sounds like a good idea. I'd like that, but I really don't mind. I just want to be with you, and it doesn't bother me. Maybe I could sit in the bath with you some time to help you get warmed up. I'll scrub your back for you, if you like?"

"Hmm… That sounds like fun. Just my back, nothing else interests you…? I might take you up on that sometime, but I warm up faster if I just run hot water. I'm not affected by extremes of temperature like you are, and I wouldn't want to scald you. I could call you in when the water temperature cools down to something comfortable for you…"

"Trust me; there are other parts that interest me…" I let my finger tips lightly graze against the edge of her breast as I ran my hand up her arm to her shoulder. I felt her shudder as I traced my fingers along her collar bone and caressed her jaw. Then I raised her chin so I could look into her eyes. I could see the desire smoldering in her gaze.

"I want to try something, Edward, but you need to remain very still…" and then she gently eased me back until my shoulders were pressed back into the mattress.

She leaned in and brushed her lips against mine. She didn't flinch away, but moaned against my lips as I moved to return the pressure, encouraging her as she kissed me. Her lips parted and I felt the tip of her tongue lightly brush against my bottom lip. My lips parted and our tongues met and moved against each other, teasing and exploring.

Her hand moved up from my stomach to caress across the planes of my chest, and I felt her thumb gently stroke my nipple through my t-shirt as she ran her hand over my chest. She gently caressed my collarbone and the side of my neck as her hand continued upward and our kisses became more passionate. She caressed my jaw and lightly cupped my cheek as we moved together nipping, tasting, exploring. Her scent was exhilarating as the strawberry and freesia flooded my senses and made my head spin.

I wanted more and started to deepen our kiss, exploring her mouth. My hands moved into her hair pulling her harder against me, cradling her head, but she pulled back suddenly, flinching away... She sat up looking away and her jaw was clamped tight. Her chest didn't move, and I could tell she wasn't breathing I thought I had pushed her boundaries too far, but she shook herself and moved closer again brushing her lips across my cheek. Bella gently sucked my earlobe between her lips, nipping at it with the gentlest of pressure, and I felt her cool breath blow in my ear.

"I'm sorry, Edward, but you have to be careful of my teeth. I don't want to cut you…" She breathed in my ear. I could taste the faint trace of iron and salt in my mouth, and I must have nicked my tongue when I'd gotten carried away… "They're very sharp, and you could hurt yourself. I could hurt you…"

I trailed kisses along her jaw line and moved back to her lips. She greeted me willingly and tenderly sucked my bottom lip between hers for a second. Then her arms were snaking around my neck and her hands cradled my head as her finger tangled in my hair pulling me closer.

Her kisses were harder and more passionate as her cool lips moved on mine and our tongues tangled and slipped against each other. I felt Bella pushing me back, holding me down as she moved over me. I let her have control as she slid on top, letting her weight settle on me, and press me down into the mattress. Her leg moved out from between mine as she straddled my hips, and I could feel my hard cock grind against her through the thin layers of fabric that separated us.

She leaned back, and grasped the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it up. I leaned forward and let her pull it up my body, and then she pulled it off over my head and tossed it onto the floor. I reached for her as she sat on my lap to pull her into my embrace, but her strong petite hands were back on my chest, and she pushed me down onto my back.

Her hands moved on my chest, exploring and caressing. Her finger tips stroked across my nipples and a shudder ran through my body. She leaned forward and kissed my chest as my hands caressed up and down her sides and then moved to trace up and down her spine. Her tongue darted out and flicked at my nipple, and I shuddered again when her lips closed around it in a kiss and she lightly sucked on it. Her lips and tongue left a trail of wet kisses across my chest as she found my other nipple and gave it the same treatment.

Bella's hands moved up to my shoulders as she kissed up my chest to the hollow at the base of my throat below my Adams apple. She kissed up the side of my neck and along my jaw line as her hips moved against me, grinding my cock against her core. My arms encircled her, pulling her against me, not wanting to let her go now that she was finally mine. Her lips found mine again, as her hands moved back into my hair. Her fingertips tenderly scraped against my scalp as her lips parted and her tongue traced against my lip. My lips parted and her tongue was in my mouth, insistent and ardent as she explored.

She broke the kiss, and her cool cheek nuzzled against mine. She kissed the hollow beneath my ear, and I felt her cool breath against the side of my neck.

"Do you love me, Edward?" She asked. I opened my eyes and she moved to stare into my eyes as the tips of our noses nuzzled against each other.

I could see the vulnerability in her eyes as though she expected me to say no, but she was all I wanted and needed. She was a part of me, and I could feel my connection to her very soul pulsing between us as we held each other.

"Yes, Bella, I love you."

"Do you trust me, Edward? Do you trust me with your life?"

"I'd be dead now twice over if it weren't for you. I trust you completely, Bella. I'm yours…" I closed the little distance between us and captured her lips again.

She indulged me for a minute and then she pulled back and looked deep into my eyes again. "I need you, Edward… I need to make you mine…"

"You have to mark your territory…?"

"Yes…" She moaned and her open lips were back on mine, cool and hard as she tasted me. Then she broke our kiss and was staring deep into my eyes.

"Do it. I love you, Bella… I trust you with both of our lives… I'm yours… take me…stake your claim…"

She nodded, and moved closer. She lightly kissed each of my eyes closed and kissed down my cheek to my lips. Her open lips moved on my lips and her tongue teased at mine. She sucked my upper lip between hers for a second, savoring the taste. Then she kissed along my jaw line to the hollow beneath my ear. I had complete trust in Bella, but I could feel my heart hammering in my chest in anticipation.

"Shhh…" She whispered in my ear. "Relax… trust me, Edward, I love you …" I was calm, but my heart was still racing.

She kissed down my neck to the pulse point in my throat. I could feel her kiss my throat and her cool breath on me made me shiver as goose bumps broke out on my skin and the fine hairs on my arms stood on end. I felt her lips press against my throat and then her tongue swiped against the pulsing artery under my skin… I felt the sharpness of her teeth…

There was a short sharp pain for a fraction of a second and then a euphoric sensation like I'd been injected with a drug. I could feel a pleasurable sensation of her sucking on my neck like she was giving me a hickey, but I could feel the blood flowing freely out of the bite from her razor sharp teeth. Her jaw moved as she swallowed and drank from the bite on my neck. It was like the energy drained out of me with my blood, and I was overcome with a lethargy and sudden drowsiness.

Then Bella's tongue was pressed against my neck, stopping the flow. She swiped her tongue over the bite leaving a pleasant tingling sensation in its wake, and then she was kissing back up my neck. There was a coppery scent on her breath mixed with the strawberries and freesia, and then her lips found mine again. There was the barest hint of iron and salt as her tongue caressed mine.

I felt weak and I could feel all the long hours of this day weighing on me. I could barely keep my eyes open as I struggled to retain consciousness and hold her, but she lightly kissed my fluttering eyelids closed as I tried to stifle a yawn. The last thing I remembered was Bella moving off of me and cuddling me in her arms as she gently caressed my cheek and murmured in my ear.

"Sleep now, my Edward. Rest my only love, after everything you've been through today. Know that I love you and I'll be here with you…," and I drifted off to sleep content and peaceful knowing Bella was mine and I was hers. I couldn't resist anymore as sleep took me.

I stirred awake as awareness returned. It was morning and I'd slept far later than I usual. There was gray light leaking into the room around the edges of the curtains. I could tell it wasn't a sunny day, but definitely daytime. I stretched, and then started awake and sat up. I was alone in my bed… The room was neat and tidy. My clothes from the previous night were gone… Had I dreamed it all? Bella had been in my bed last night…, she was gone now too…

I was about to get up and go look for her, and then my door opened. Bella stepped into the room carrying a tray, and flipped on the light. I could smell food… My stomach growled at the scent of bacon and eggs and coffee.

"I must have timed it just right. Seems like its feeding time for the human. Good morning, Edward."

"Good morning… Did you cook all of this?" I asked as Bella set the tray over my lap on the short legs that folded out of the bottom of the serving tray. She sat down on the bed next to me, and curled her legs under herself as she watched me. I picked up the fork and started to eat as we talked.

"Well, I still remember how to cook most of this… I buttered the toast. Alice and Esme did most of it before they left…"

"Where did they go? Or should I ask…?"

"Alice took Esme to go talk to Katy. Alice seemed to have a pretty good Idea where she'd be this morning…" I just nodded and let it go. I'd royally screwed that one up. Now Esme and Alice were out doing damage control. Trying to fix my mistake or at least minimize the repercussions.

"Are you hungry? Are you going to need breakfast too?"

"No, I'm good. I had a snack last night…"

I looked over at her, and her eyes were the darker orange hue shot through with flecks of red like I'd seen on Tuesday night in Port Angeles.

"I did that to your eyes. Is that me in you…?"

"Yes… You aren't upset are you? I didn't hurt you…?"

"No, I'm fine. You didn't hurt me. It wasn't bad… It was actually kind of sensual and erotic… I liked it, but is it always like that? I mean you used to do that with strangers… You still do…"

"Not like that! Some of the girls do…, and the guys too, if they really like someone or if they have an arrangement with a regular client… I never got that close to anyone when I was working, and I don't now when I have to feed. There are other ways…"

"Other ways?"

She held out her hand to me, and I could just make out a faint tracery of thin white crisscrossed scars against the pale white skin on the inside of her wrist.

"There are many different arteries that serve the purpose. This is one of the easier ones to reach… Maybe I'll show you some of the others sometime…"

"Ok… So your eyes were like this on Tuesday, but I've never seen them like this at school. Alice said you were starving and told you to go hunt last night. How does that work? Do you hunt every night?"

Bella giggled, "God no! I didn't need to feed anywhere near that often even as a newborn! Jeez, I'd be sloshing around waterlogged and bloated. Really, I only need to hunt about once every two weeks if I stay out of the sun and don't get hurt. Same with human blood, once every couple of weeks gives me a decent amount of control over my gift."

"Wow, you really do have a lot of free time on your hands. You don't sleep, and you only have to eat about once every two weeks? You don't age… I don't suppose you have to stop for the ladies room on a long road trip then either."

"All the plumbing still works, Edward. We drink a lot, what with the liquid diet and all. What goes in still has to come out. It doesn't just magically disappear. We might be 'mythological creatures', but we're still bound by the basic realities of the physical world. Our metabolisms are extremely efficient now, but we still make bathroom breaks. Maybe not six to eight times every day like a human, but the need still exists, albeit infrequently."

I was done with breakfast, and the turn of the conversation had reminded me of my own human frailties. "Thank you for bringing me up my breakfast, love, but I think I need to take a moment and go be human." Suddenly she whisked the tray off my lap. It was sitting on the desk, and Bella was standing next to the bed. "Thanks'… That's still going to take some getting used to…"

Bella grinned, "I always wanted a pet… I have to take good care of my human, or Esme will be upset with me. Although I did manage to kill off three goldfish in a row…" She laughed as I turned to her in surprise. "God, Edward, if you could see the look on your face… I'm just teasing! You're a lot more fun than a goldfish… Go have your 'human moment'. I'll be waiting for you…"

I got out of bed, shaking my head while I walked down the hall to the bathroom, and attended to my human need. I stood in front of the mirror, and looked at my neck. I wasn't bruised or cut. There wasn't any glaringly obvious outward sign of what we'd done last night, at least to human eyes. I wasn't sure what I was expecting to see. Maybe a cut or teeth marks. I thought there might have at least been a healing cut or an obvious scar. I could barely make out a faint white line like I'd seen on Bella's wrists. Well at least I wouldn't have to answer a lot of questions from the kids at school or make up an excuse about cutting myself shaving.

I ran a shower and then slipped out of my boxer briefs, and tossed them into the hamper. I stepped into the shower, washed my hair, and got cleaned up. I grabbed the towel off the rack to dry off. I hadn't brought any clothes with me to the bathroom to change into so I wrapped the towel around my waist, and then brushed my teeth. I wasn't sure what the plan was for today, but I'd be ready for anything this way.

I went back down the hall to my room and went in. The light was off and it was dimly lit with only the light leaking around the closed curtains. It took a second for my eyes to adjust and then desire flashed through me like wild fire and my arousal made itself known. Bella was back in bed waiting for me. The covers were turned down on my side, and she patted the mattress next to her, beckoning to me to come lie next to her. Her shoulders above the covers were bare, and I could see her harem pants and camisole hanging on the back of the desk chair.

I stepped over to the bed, dropped my towel, and slipped under the covers next to Bella. She scooted over next to me and cuddled up against me. The feeling was exhilarating as her cool skin pressed up against my warm slightly damp body. I took her in my arms and held her, and I could feel the hard erect nipples of her perfect breasts pressed against my chest.

"I hope you don't mind… Your bed was just so warm and inviting, and I didn't want to start to cool down too much. Then I heard the shower, and thought I'd surprise you."

"Trust me, I don't mind at all…" I traced my finger tips along the silky skin of her spine and I could feel her shudder against me at the touch. "So, what's the plan for today…?"

"I thought maybe we'd continue on with what we were doing last night…" she nuzzled against my cheek and kissed down the side of my neck… "Maybe when Esme and Alice come home we could all sit down together and decide what we want to do this weekend."

"What about Carlisle?" I asked as I kissed the top of her head and caressed her back.

"Oh, we'll include him, but he'll probably be out for quite a while. Esme kept him busy most of the night after they got home from the dance. The walls in these old houses are so thin… They were still rather involved when I got home from hunting…"

"You could hear all of that?"

"Yes…"

"And if Esme was home she'd hear us…?"

"She isn't home now… If it bothers you…, her hearing…"

"It doesn't bother me. Carlisle knew I shared an intimate relationship with Katy, but she never spent the night here. It's just strange to me that they know you're in here, and they're ok with it."

"Well, I suppose I am robbing the cradle, but you're my mate, Edward. We could sneak around and go park by the river if it makes you feel more comfortable, but Carlisle and Esme understand."

"No, I don't need to sneak around. And what do you mean, 'robbing the cradle'! You might be twenty-two, but you were only seventeen when you were changed. We're the same age, and my birthday is in June. I'm older than you by three months. You don't age anymore, and if I wait 'til I'm eighteen before I let you change me, I'll probably look older than you too."

"Ok, fine. We're the same age." Bella giggled against the side of my neck.

"Thank you, 'cradle robber' indeed! So, you're ok with this? Last night you said you we're scared…"

"I'm terrified, but I'll work through it. I trust you. I'm here aren't I? At least this mating instinct thing is good for something. I don't think I could be doing this now if I wasn't so drawn to need you so badly…"

"I don't want to move faster than what you're ready to accept. Are you sure…?

"Edward…"

"Yes, love…"

"Will you shut up already, and kiss me. This is hard enough…"

I obliged her request and pressed my lips to hers, cutting her off. I didn't want to rush her, but apparently I needed to pick up the pace. I'd just have to trust Bella to stop me if I pushed her boundaries too far.

Bella sighed against my lips, almost in relief as though I was finally satisfying some need she had to be even closer to me. Her lips parted and I felt the tip of her tongue on my lips. I parted my lips and our tongues touched, eager and hesitant as they met and slipped against each other. It was slick and sweet and wonderful.

Her leg was snuggled up between mine, and my hard cock was pressing against her hip. I could feel her cool moisture damp on my leg as she ground her core against my leg, and I knew she was aroused. I took the initiative, and maneuvered her onto her back as we lay in my bed making out. I could feel the strong, lithe, steel of her muscles moving under her silky skin, but she yielded to my touch, and let me guide her.

We were definitely way past first base, but I hadn't really made a play for second base yet despite the fact we were lying naked together in my bed. She was sending me signals, but Bella was an enigma. She was hard for me to read.

I was supporting my weight on one elbow, cradling her neck as I kissed her. I let my other hand trace down her side, letting my finger tips lightly graze down her side and along the side of her breast. I felt a shiver rock through her at my touch and she moaned against my lips as I moved my hand onto her stomach. I started tracing slow circles around her stomach moving higher with each pass. She moaned each time my fingers would graze the bottom of her breast, but I didn't actually touch her there.

She reached out and took my hand in hers on the next pass, and I froze, unable to move in her iron grip. Her thumb caressed across my knuckles as I waited for her to make the next move. She lay panting against my lips as I lay there anticipating her next move. Had I gone too far and she wanted me to stop? She could easily snap my hand like a match stick if I'd upset her…

Bella surprised me when she moved my hand up and placed it firmly on her perfect breast, surrendering herself to my touch... She moaned as her erect nipple pressed into my hot palm. Emboldened by her direct action, I explored her perfect breasts. Her skin was cool and silky smooth. Supple and firm, the perfect seventeen year old forever…

I kissed along her jaw and down the column of her neck as I cupped her breast and stroked her nipple with my thumb. I kissed the hollow at the base of her throat, and then down the middle of her chest as she threw her head back and shuddered in anticipation. I lightly pinched her nipple with my thumb and fore finger as my mouth moved onto her other breast, and my lips found her nipple. I wrapped my lips around it and sucked the hard pebble, as my tongue flicked against it.

"Oh God… Edward… Harder! Use your teeth… You won't hurt me…"

I pinched her nipple harder with my fingers, and she moaned louder. I took her nipple between my teeth and lightly nipped at her…

"Harder… Do it! Now…!"

I bit down harder, and a feral growl rumbled through her chest as she moaned and humped against my leg…

I kissed across her chest, letting my tongue trail across the valley between her breasts as I switched sides.

My hand moved lower onto her stomach as I circled her nipple and areola with my tongue.

I let my fingers move into the curls at the base of her hips as my mouth moved onto her nipple.

My fingers traced lower through her curls as I sucked on her nipple and flicked it with my tongue. She was panting now as my hand moved on her cupping her sex and my teeth grazed across the hard pebble.

I pushed my finger into the moisture between her legs and stroked along her wet core as I bit down on her hard nipple…

I felt the growl rumble through her chest. A hiss escaped her lips as she threw her head back, and a strong shudder rocked through her body.

My hand explored her as I circled her opening with my fingertip and my thumb moved onto her sensitive bundle of nerves, gently stroking her clit back and forth as I sucked on her breast.

I started to kiss down her chest to her stomach as I moved lower. I reach down with my hands and she let me lift her knees and spread her legs.

"Edward, you don't have to…"

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No… but you don't have to…"

"Yes I do. Now relax and let me make you feel good. Ok?"

"Ok… I'm just nervous… I don't want to hurt you…" and then she shut up and moaned with pleasure as my tongue licked down through her folds. I used my fingers to gently spread her open and relaxed my tongue and licked up towards her clit.

I gently flicked her clit back and forth with my tongue and then moved back down to explore the whole area with my mouth. I gently probed with my tongue and found her vagina and sucked on her labia before moving back to her clit.

I went to work on her clit, using my tongue and lips to gently suck and massage it. I was careful not to apply too much pressure as I moved in circles, up and down, flicking back and forth lightly varying my pattern.

Her juices were flowing now and she was wet as she moaned my name.

I knew when I hit the right groove, because her fingers tangled into my hair as she grabbed the back of my head and clamped her thighs around my ears like a vice.

"Oh God…, that's fucking amazing… Oh god, don't stop…"

The pressure became almost painfully tight and I was forced to slow down unable to move. Then I felt Bella force her self to relax a little and ease off. I picked up my pace again and I could hear fabric ripping as she clawed at the sheet, shredding it under her fisted hands as she fought to stay in control.

I moistened my fingers in her freely flowing juices and then probed at her opening with my finger tips. I slipped a finger in and she was so tight while I continued to work her clit with my tongue. I worked my finger back and forth and I thought she was going to clamp down again as she panted and moaned.

"Oh My God! Fuck…Edward! Oh god…Edward…"

Bella's pussy was easily accepting my finger now and I slipped a second one in. I moved them rhythmically inside her with my palm up, crooking them slightly, and stroking them in a 'come hither' motion to hit her G-spot.

"God…I'm almost there! Right there…Shit…Edward…"

Bella was pressing my head firmly against her pussy as she panted and moaned my name. She bucked against me, but maintained a semblance of control as I licked her and stroked my fingers into her wet core.

"Edward I'm gonna… God I'm almost there…"

"Edward! Oh god…I'm cuming!"

Bella was moaning my name. Then I felt a strong shudder rumble through her, and she clenched tight around my fingers thrust deep inside her as her muscles contracted. I held my tongue still as I pressed it against her pulsing clit and she came hard.

"Oh My God… Edward… God that was so fucking amazing…"

I moved back up the bed over her between her legs. The feeling was intense and erotic as my skin moved on hers. She was dry and silky smooth and the sensation was electric, pulsing between us where my skin touched hers. I was hot with a faint sheen of sweat making my body glisten as we moved together, the perfect combination of fire and ice.

I stopped for a second to run my tongue across her breast and take her erect nipple between my lips. She was panting hard but I held her for a couple of minutes until she started to calm down as she relaxed and came back to reality. Then her arms were around my shoulders pulling me to her and our open lips met as I kissed her and her tongue slipped against mine.

Her hands moved down my back and onto my butt as she grasped my cheeks, pulling me to her.

The head of my cock grazed through her curls and traced along the cleft between her legs. I reached down and took my cock in my hand and stroked up her core. I moved the head to slip between her folds and stroke along her core into her cool moisture with my cock and ground the head against her clit.

She moaned my name, and I stroked up and down a few more times coating myself with her slippery wetness as she bucked against me,.

"Oh my god… I need you now… Edward fuck me! I need you inside… Please…" She begged me.

I moved the head of my cock to her opening, and started to push into her. Bella gasped as her knees moved up my sides and her legs hooked around my thighs pulling me against her.

"Oh God Yes…Oh my god… Fuck me!" She moaned as my hard cock wedged into her cool wet core.

She was wet and slick and her sex gripped my cock like a velvety vice as I thrust into her tightness and sank part way in.

I pulled back and rocked my hips forward thrusting deeply into her cool slick wetness driving forward pushing my cock against the smooth velvety resistance, and made headway as I sank deeper.

I rocked back again and pushed harder thrusting into her until my cock was buried to the hilt inside her exquisite steel embrace. She gasped out my name as I finally sank deep into her core.

"Oh My God! Shit…Edward! Oh god…Edward…"

My pubic bone was pressing against her clit. I held still for a minute to allow her to relax and adjust, and then I set up a rhythm as I started to move inside of her lifting my hips to rock back into her.

"God Bella… you're so tight… So good…" I groaned as I started to move deep inside her.

"Oh god… Edward fuck me! Oh god…" She moaned as I thrust into her tight pussy.

I pulled back and rocked my hips forward thrusting into her cool slick wetness, moving faster as she held me with her legs and our bodies moved together. Bella rocked her hips to meet my thrusts, and we crashed together as our bodies moved to the pulse of the connection that joined her soul to mine.

"Oh god… Edward Harder! God… Fuck me… Fuck me harder!" Bella groaned.

I rested my weight on my elbows as I pressed my body against hers and I hammered into her, thrusting hard and fast with her legs hooked around me and her hands gripped my arms as she pulled me to her.

God… Edward… I'm gonna… God I'm almost there!" she moaned getting louder as she got closer to the edge.

Bella moaned loud, and she threw her head back and cried my name as I felt her nails dig into my back. I could feel the sting of my sweat in the long deep scratches, and the sudden pain added to my pleasure in an almost animalistic abandon as I thrust hard and fast into her. Her pussy clenched hard around my solid cock and her legs gripped me tight as her orgasm carried her away.

"Uhnn… Uhnn… God… Bella! I'm gonna… Uhnn… I'm almost there…" I panted against her neck as I drove deep into her pussy, plunging to the hilt hard and fast!

I was on the edge, and began thrusting even more urgently as I felt the tingling at the base of my cock in my balls and I knew I was going to come. I thrust hard a couple more times and then buried myself to the hilt inside her cool throbbing pussy as I shot my come deep inside Bella. The orgasm ripped through me and I felt my dick pulse as my hot juice flooded into her.

Bella held me tight as our orgasms rocked through us, and then we started to come back to our selves. I held her face and kissed her while we were still joined together and she caressed my shoulders as she held me against her.

After a minute, I pulled out slowly and looked down into Bella's eyes. I was spent and wanted to lie down next to her and pull her into my arms. I saw her inhale deeply and stretch languorously, but then her eyes darkened and a look of horror swept across her features. She recoiled away from me and in an instant fled to the opposite side of the bed as she gave an anguished moan and looked down averting her eyes.

"Oh my god, Edward! I'm so sorry, I'm a monster! I knew this was too good to be true! Are you alright?"

"Bella, what are you talking about? I'm fine! That was amazing! Now calm down and come back here!"

"I don't want to hurt you… You're bleeding… I did this, I'm so sorry…" She held up her hands that had been caressing my shoulders and there was blood on them.

"I am? Where…?" My back felt wet and stung where she'd scratched me, but it didn't hurt.

"Your back… I cut you with my nails…"

"Don't be silly! Look at me Bella! I'm fine. That was absolutely amazing, and you're not going to ruin the mood! Come here right now!"

"You're not mad..?"

"Of course I'm not mad. How could I possibly be mad at you? I love you! That was fantastic! You were fantastic! Now come here and let me hold you."

Slowly she started back across the bed to me, and I took her in my arms and kissed her. I felt the tension drain out of her, and she relaxed into my embrace, but I could feel the pain starting in my back now as I flexed my muscles to hold Bella in my arms.

"I'm really sorry, Edward. I lost control, and I hurt you…"

"If you're so concerned about a couple of scratches, why don't you just do what you did last night?"

"Last night?"

"You healed the bite in my neck when you pressed your tongue to the wound and licked the cut. Wouldn't that work for this too?"

"I don't know, I never thought of that. Lie down and let me try…"

I lay down on my stomach on the bed next to her, and I heard Bella gasp as she surveyed the damage she had wrought.

"These are deep…! Maybe we should go to the emergency room and have this looked at…"

"And just how exactly would I explain what happened? Try healing it first, and then if it doesn't work, we can talk to Carlisle and decide what to do."

"Ok…"

I felt her kneel down beside me and her hair tickled as she leaned down over my back. I felt her lips on my shoulder as she tenderly kissed the beginning of one of the scrapes.

Her lips and tongue lightly traced along my shoulder and back as she swiped her tongue over the deep scratch leaving a pleasant tingling sensation in its wake. It was the same sensation I had felt in my neck last night.

"Oh wow! That is so cool! It works!" She exclaimed in delight, and then she moved to the next cut and repeated the process.

She was done in a couple of minutes, and sat running her cool hands over the muscles of my shoulders and back.

"All better now?" I asked as I turned to look up at her and rested my weight on one elbow. She nodded through the curtain of her hair.

I reached for her and pulled her down into my arms onto my chest and held her. I reached up with one hand to brush the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Then I leaned in and kissed her and my open lips moved on hers as our tongues met and moved in a familiar dance of bliss.

I pulled the covers back up over us and then returned my attention to Bella's perfect lips as we moved together, touching, exploring, caressing.

My hand moved across her stomach and up to caress her chest. My thumb gently stroked her nipple as I cupped her breast and moved my hand over her chest. She gently caressed my collarbone and the side of my neck as her hands moved on me and our kisses became more passionate. Her scent was deliciously pungent from our love making, mixing with the strawberry and freesia and flooded my senses.

I caressed her jaw and lightly cupped her cheek as we moved together nipping, tasting, exploring. She greeted me eagerly and lovingly sucked my bottom lip between hers for a second. Then she was deepening our kisses, exploring my mouth as she pushed in her tongue. She held me close and crushed my lips with hers. Her hands snaked around my neck and tangled in my hair, cradling my head as she pulled me closer.

Her kisses were harder and more passionate as her cool lips moved on mine and our tongues tangled and slipped against each other. I felt Bella pushing me onto my back as she slid over me. She took control as she moved on top pressing me back into the mattress. Her legs straddled my hips, and I could feel her damp sex grind against my softened cock as her chest moved on my upper body and our hips were pressed together.

She pulled back slightly breaking our kiss, and I trailed kisses along her jaw line and moved back to her lips, but she was pulling away. I leaned forward and reached for her as she slid down my body to pull her back into my embrace, but her strong petite hands were on my chest, and she pushed me back down onto the mattress.

"Relax, Edward, let me have some fun and explore…"

Her hands moved on my chest, exploring and caressing. Her finger tips stroked across my nipples and a shudder ran through my body. She leaned into me and kissed my chest as her hands caressed down my sides and then moved to trace up and down my chest and stomach. Her tongue darted out and flicked at my nipple, and I shuddered again when her lips closed around it in a kiss and she lightly sucked on it. Her lips and tongue left a trail of wet kisses across my chest as she found my other nipple and gave it the same treatment.

Bella's hands moved onto my hips as she kissed down my chest to my belly button. She kissed down my lower stomach to the point of my hip and along my waistline to my other hip trailing her lips and tongue through the edge of my pubic hair.

Her hands found my softened cock and it twitched against her cool touch as she wrapped her hands around me. Her fingers encircled my penis, gently pulling and stroking me.

"You need to tell me what to do here, Edward. I don't have much experience with this."

"Much experience?"

"Ok, no experience, but I read some books Alice showed me, and I vaguely remember a night with the girls at the club a long time ago. I think there were bananas involved… How do I get you excited again?" she said as she gently stroked me.

"I'm excited whenever I'm with you. What you're doing right now is very nice. You can grip me a little tighter to increase the pressure but you'll need some lubrication. You can use spit, or lick it if you want too… Some girls like to take it in their mouth…"

"I know. It was in the books. Tell me what feels good so I get this right, or tell me to stop before I hurt you…"

Her lips wrapped around the head of my semi-erect cock, as her hands moved up and down along the shaft stroking me. She used her hands to caress and stroke my erection as it grew and got hard inside her mouth. Saliva leaked around her lips and coated the upper part of the shaft. It lubricated my hardening cock and her hands as her mouth moved up and down on me.

"God, you're so big, Edward." She exclaimed as she let my cock pop out of her mouth. The tips of her fingers couldn't quite reach her thumb as she wrapped her hand around my cock. I groaned when she stroked over the head of my cock with the palm of her hand.

"Am I doing this right, Edward? She asked with a mischievous grin on her face.

She giggled and stroked up and down the length of my twitching cock as I groaned with pleasure. She ran her fingertips along the length of the bottom of my erection, caressing the thick vein like bulge that ran along the bottom. Then her fingers traced back up to the tip, her palm touched and slipped and wrapped around my hard straining cock. She wrapped one hand around the base of my erection, and used the other to slide the foreskin back to expose the head of my cock.

"God, Yes… Are you sure you've never done this before…? That must have been a good book…"

She sucked the exposed head of my cock back into her mouth and started to work up and down my hard erection. Her mouth moved down over my cock as she took more in and her tongue swirled around me. I lay back and groaned in pleasure as her tongue worked on my head and shaft in her mouth, unrelenting and eager as she explored.

"Bella," I gasped. "Oh god, yes," I panted.

"Good?" she asked, looking up at me with an urchin grin as she let my hard cock slip out of her mouth again.

"Yes," I moaned, "god, Bella, please!"

"Harder?" she asked, even as she squeezed me tight and stroked her palm over the sensitive head.

My hips jerked and she smiled as she firmly stroked my now rigid cock. My hands were fisted into the sheets on either side of my legs, as I shuddered with pleasure and my back arched against the bed as my hips rocked towards her.

She leaned down and took the head of my hard cock back into her mouth, nursing on me, and her tongue swirled around me as she slid my shaft deeper into her mouth careful to avoid scraping against me with her sharp teeth.

Her hand at the base of my cock was moving on my shaft milking me, and she reached back with her other hand to gently stroke and massage the heavy sack hanging between my legs.

I lay panting with my hands gripping at the ruined sheet. Her head moved up and down, sliding in as much of my cock as she could fit into her mouth, and then she'd pull back to swirl her tongue around the head.

"Uhnn, Bella, love, you're so… God, Bella, you're so sexy. You make me want you so much, all the time."

Her mouth was cool and wet as she sucked and stroked, and I felt like I had gone to heaven. She sucked harder, pumped harder, and gently tugged on my sack to make me come for her.

"Oh god, Bella… God, that's fucking amazing!" I moaned.

She sucked me harder and faster, and I was getting close.

"God, Bella… I'm almost there!" I warned her, but it just seemed to encourage her to work me harder.

I tapped her on the shoulder, "Oh god, I'm going to… I'm going to cum!"

I exploded in her mouth, as she pushed down and took me deep in her mouth. She could only fit about half of my cock in her mouth as my head brushed against the back of her throat.

I felt her swallowing as the orgasm pulsed through me, but she couldn't quite keep up, and I saw a dribble of come run down her chin.

Finally, she pulled back off of me, and my cock came out of her mouth with a pop as she sucked down my length to the head.

She reached up and scooped the dribble of cum off her chin with her finger, and then she stuck her finger in her mouth to suck my come off her finger.

"Umm, tasty… Maybe not quite as good as your blood, but not bad, Edward. It might not be a total loss changing you after all…"

I collapsed back against the bed gasping for breath, as she let go and crawled up my body to press herself against me. I pulled her to me and held her close with my arms wrapped around her, and our lips met again. I opened my mouth and ran my tongue across Bella's lips.

She snaked my arms around my neck, and tangled her hands in my hair lightly scraping her nails against my scalp, pulling my face up to her. My hand reached around her neck stroking my hand over her hair, pulling her face down to meet mine. Her lips were amorously moving on mine. I ran my tongue against her bottom lip, tasting her, and then I sucked it between my lips for a second.

Her lips parted, and the tips of our tongues touched. Bella pushed her tongue into my mouth deepening our kiss, and I felt her slick velvety strength exploring my mouth. Her tongue was in my mouth, and I could taste my come on her lips and on her tongue. It was slick and sweet and erotic and I wanted it to go on forever as she made love to my mouth.

I broke the kiss to catch my breath. Bella arched her back and pressed against me as she kissed along my jaw line making her way down my neck trailing electricity with my every touch. She kissed the swell of my Adam's apple in the middle of my throat and then back up to the pulse point below the corner of my jaw. I could feel her cool breath on me and goose bumps broke out on my skin and the fine hairs on my arms stood on end as the sharpness of her teeth grazed across my skin. Her tongue swiped against the pulsing artery under my skin as her lips sealed against my throat.

There was a short sharp pain for a fraction of a second and then the euphoric sensation as her teeth moved through my skin. She was sucking on my neck as the blood flowed freely out of the bite from her razor sharp teeth. I felt her swallow as she drank from the bite on my neck. It was different this time as she took my blood, and I wasn't overcome with the lethargy or drowsiness. The sensation was electric and it felt like my heart beat in time with the connection that joined her soul to mine and the blood was the connection, pulsing out of me and into her...

Then Bella's tongue was pressed against my neck, stopping the flow. She swiped her tongue over the bite leaving the familiar pleasant tingling sensation in its wake, and then she was kissing back up my neck. This time I was expecting the coppery scent on her breath mixed with the strawberries and freesia, and then her lips found mine again. There was the barest hint of iron and salt as her tongue caressed mine.

I didn't feel weak this time, and pulled Bella tight against me as we rolled in the sheets, our lips and bodies locked together. She was everything I wanted and needed. My head swam as her scent filled my nostrils and flooded my senses. She was strong and graceful as a jungle cat and her steel muscles rippled under her smooth silky skin. Her skin was exquisite to my touch, slipping against me as she pressed her body to mine. Her body was lithe and perfect as my body molded to hers. The feeling was electric as my skin moved against hers, and I was dazzled as Bella filled all my senses.

I considered what Bella had commented about changing me. "You're having second thoughts, love…?" I teased as I trailed kisses back to the column of her neck and nipped at her earlobe. She pulled my face back to hers and her lips found mine again.

I broke our kiss and lay back against the pillows to catch my breath. Bella cuddled up against my chest as I held her in my arms. She rested her head on my shoulder in the crook of my neck with her leg draped across me snuggled up between mine.

"About wanting you? Never! But there are pros and cons to consider about keeping you human… or not…"

"Please enlighten me. I'm intrigued by your dilemma."

"Well, your blood is incredibly addicting… I've been dying to taste it since the first day of school, and now it's finally mine… I'll lose that when you're changed." Her finger tips traced across the pulse point in my neck, and my heart hammered in my chest at her touch. It felt like she was stroking the connection between us, and it made me desire her even more. "On the other hand, now I know you have other… fluids… that are almost as good, so it's not a total loss."

"For either of us… You were incredible, love. I can't believe that was the first time…"

"I must be incredibly talented then! I haven't done that with anyone else, Edward!"

I pulled her close and rubbed her back "You are amazingly talented then, and I wouldn't care if you had in the past. You're all mine now. It'd be their loss. You don't have to get defensive, I love you, and I believe you. Now you were telling me about the pros and cons? What do you consider an advantage of changing me?

"Well for one thing, you'd be more durable, and I wouldn't have to hold back so much. It's a little distracting to try and stay focused and not just let go so I don't hurt you."

"This is you holding back! This change is starting to look better and better all the time…"

"God, you have no idea, Edward… It's so hard being careful… trying to stay focused so I don't hurt you… and from what Rose tells me, you'd have a lot more…, stamina…"

"Stamina? I didn't think I was doing too badly…"

"Maybe for a human, but we have to keep stopping so you can recover…" She reached down and stroked my softened cock where it lay against my leg. It twitched at her touch and became semi-erect under her hand.

"If I was like you, we wouldn't have to stop?" I asked surprised at the thought.

"Not unless you wanted to… Rose has told me stories about when she and Emmett were newly mated. They could go for days on end, and only stop to change position or hunt…"

"Wow… We'll have to try that…"

"I'd say that would be a pro, and you'd definitely be up for it…"

"So what are your thought on this… Changing me and everything… I'd have to leave. I wouldn't be able to stay in Forks after the change. Have you talked to Alice about this? And what about Carlisle?"

"Alice and I have talked about it a little, but mainly just the mechanics and basic logistics. You know… how it works, how long it takes, what you go through and the newborn bloodlust… I think she knows more than she lets on, but you know what that's like."

"I know what you mean. It's like she knows what's going to happen and lets you screw up anyhow… That just drives me crazy, but I guess she has her reasons."

"Believe me, I know all about it…, but I still love her. We worked out ok… Before we can make any decisions, we really need to get everyone together and discuss this. If was just you and me, I'd take you to Alaska tonight if you wanted to go…, but there are others involved in this. We should talk to Alice and Jasper and Carlisle and Esme."

"That's probably a good idea… This isn't something we have to rush into, right? Will you be ok if I wait until after I'm eighteen? After graduation would be the easiest to explain… I'd be going away then, anyhow."

"It'll be hard… I'm ok with that, but you have to promise to stay safe. You have to stay out of trouble and promise not to get hurt… I'd just die if anything happened to you…"

"I'll do my best, but I'll have you to protect me… I've managed the last seventeen years ok. I should be able to survive until graduation."

"I trust you, Edward, but you're going to have to be firm with Jasper. Things are getting dicey in Seattle. I don't see things heating up or getting too unmanageable that fast. The rival families are pushing, but we've been pushing back, and we're holding our own so far. You should have the time you need, but Jasper is going to want to bring you into the family business… You know what that means?"

"A little, I've been doing some research and I've got some connections. I heard the Moreno's mostly provide muscle and soldiers as enforcers for other families. Otherwise, I hear your operations are pretty clean."

"Yeah, that's most of it. We deal a little, but mostly just pot for our own needs and to keep the club supplied. Not so much on the street, but we share the wealth if we get a really good deal. Having you hook me up with Sam was a pretty big score for us. We can probably move a half dozen bricks a week to our contacts in Seattle. I hear the Moreno's moved a lot of llello back in the eighty's…"

"Llello?"

"Sorry, I picked that up from Esteban and Jasper. Blow, you know… cocaine? Jasper still had some connections down south, and the money was too good to pass up."

"They were involved in that?"

"Yeah, like I said, the money was too good to pass up… That was before I came along. They got out of that trade when the business got ugly and crack hit the streets… They might be vampires, but they're not immoral enough to profit by watching somebody destroy their lives."

"What about the other families? They aren't all that altruistic, are they?"

"No… Some of the really old families are downright evil. That's the only way to explain some of the things they do… The Fu's will do anything that turns a profit. Heroin and opium trafficking, white slavery for both the blood market and human prostitution, gambling, loan sharking, extortion, protection rackets, murder for hire, they have no limits."

"So our other business dealings…?"

"We get a piece of the action from anything that goes down on our turf. The locals pay our cut if they know what's good for them. Our own operations are mostly security work and collections. Esteban isn't above hijacking the occasional shipment or general larceny for old time sake. He did get his start as a pirate after all, but we play to our strengths. It's easier to let somebody else do all the leg work, and then collect a percentage to make sure they get their payday."

"How do I fit into this, I'm not a vampire yet."

"We have a lot of human associates that work for us. Most of them don't know the truth. Most of our business dealings are with human organized crime families and crews. If they need an operation protected, they call us and we provide security. We have humans that make the deals, and a lot of human button men. You know, Picciotto, low ranking members of the Family who serve as 'enforcers', just like any crew. The 'Family' inner circle gets the special jobs."

"That's where we come in. My training is complete and Esteban's promoted me. I'm Sgarrista now. I'm sworn to Esteban. That's like a 'Made' member of the human Mafia. You know, wise guys who'd serve as the primary foot soldiers in one of the human families. You get all the same rights and privileges as me because you're my mate even though you aren't trained and haven't put in any time yet. I'm responsible for you now. If you screw up, I have to answer for it."

"So keep my nose clean and my mouth shut? Don't worry; I won't make trouble for you."

"You got it. The two most important rules in this business are keep your mouth shut, and don't rat on your friends. Blowing it with either of those will get us dead in a hurry."

"So what happened with Katy was a major screw up…"

"Call it a cheap lesson. Hopefully she won't say anything if she knows what's good for her. Otherwise we'll have to take care of Katy."

"I don't want Katy hurt because of my mistake…"

"We'll do what we can. We won't kill her if we don't have too. Hopefully she pays attention to what Esme tells her."

"Ok. So where do we go from here?"

"Jasper will expect me to start pulling my weight and help out. Now that you're on board, he'll probably expect us to work together as a team. You do the talking, and I make sure they listen to you…"

"Right, I shake'em down and you handle the wet work?"

"We take care of protection contracts and difficult collections… Real protection, security work, not scams where they really need protection from us. I have no problem forcing one criminal to pay up to another, or protecting somebody's investment if another group of wise guys tries to shake'm down, but I draw the line at murder for hire. Tough guy I can stomach, but I'm not an assassin. That doesn't mean I won't fight. I'll protect my family and what's ours. If we take on a contract, we make good on it. I'll expect you to be on the lookout for the wrong kind of job."

"Ok, I'm cool with that. What's our cut?"

"It doesn't work like that for us, Edward. I have credit cards that Esme gave me, but I never see the bill. If I need something, I buy it. I have a cash reserve for pocket money. If I need more, I ask for it and they give it to me. I guess the human crew gets paid, but I don't deal with that. We live a good life. Better than most humans, and all my needs are provided for. We don't use money as a status symbol as much as humans do."

"All of your needs? What about big ticket items or just plain luxury stuff?"

"Esme needed a car when she came to Forks, so Rose bought one for her. We travel first class, and if you want Italian suits, I'll buy them for you. Rose has a lot of really nice jewelry, all real diamonds and precious stones. It's not like we have to put something away for retirement. Most of my family has all been together for decades, even centuries. They take what they need, but we all help earn it. You're good with numbers and money. Jasper and Esteban can let you know about that part of the business if you want."

"Doesn't that sound kind of like communism to you? It goes against the whole capitalist grain…"

"Maybe, but I don't care. Esteban has a share system set up. He's older that communism or democracy for that matter. It's a hold over from the pirate days, but I don't pay much attention to it. I guess you could see how much we have on account if you're interested. It didn't matter to me. I'm satisfied just being part of a real family…"

"I used to worry when I first went to live with Esme and Rose that they were giving me so much, and I had no way to pay them back. You know, to even out the scales… That's why I went to work for Rose, to give something back. They were all so good to me after my accident… That's why I worked so hard with Jasper to prove myself… I know what it's like out on the streets, and a lot of people out there aren't nice. They only look out for themselves. I don't mind what our family does, and it gives me a chance to pull my own weight and contribute."

"What if we wanted to start our own family?"

"Is that what you want, Edward, A family of your own? I can never give you that…" She asked, looking away from me.

"Not like that, Bella. I know we can't have children, and I'm ok with that. But someday we might be ready to bring somebody into our family, if you wanted. Alice was ten when she came to live with us, but she's my sister… What I meant was could we have our own 'family' someday? You know, in the 'family' business."

"It's not like we could have kids or anything, but if we found people that meant a lot to us and wanted to change them we could form our own family group. The other kind of 'family' could happen someday if you really wanted that, but it could take centuries. You're getting ahead of yourself, though. You're not even a vampire yet, and you'd have to get in good with the Volturi to make that happen if you wanted the other kind of 'family' and wanted to break into the business. It takes a long time or a lot of power to earn respect in our world, and our world revolves around power and respect. You'd have to spend at least a century in the Guard, and do whatever they told you…"

"The Volturi are the only way to go? Are they the only game in town? Doesn't anyone stand up to them?"

"They had rivals centuries ago, but they wiped them all out. There are rumors that some of the Romanians survived, and are still plotting against them, but they were worse than the Volturi…"

"How were they worse?"

"The Volturi are content to keep a low profile and feed off the human underworld. They encourage our dealings with the human organized crime families. They maintain power through clandestine channels, and the general population knows nothing about them. The Romanians wanted to rule both the human world and the vampire world. They treated humans like cattle, and didn't care who knew."

"Ok, so maybe that is worse. Why have I never heard of them? If they wanted to rule the world why doesn't history mention them?

"Because we control who writes the history books. You have heard of them. You studied about the black plague that wiped out a third of the population in Europe in the middle ages?"

"Yeah, but it never mentioned anything about vampires."

"The black plague was the purge after the Romanians were finally defeated. Anyone that knew too much was eliminated by the Volturi. It isn't the only purge in the history books, but it was the biggest. It lasted over a hundred years."

"Ok, suddenly family sounds good to me. These Volturi are hard core bitches."

"Yeah, that's why they're still in power… Edward, Esme and Alice are on their way back… Should we get up to go talk to them?"

"Ok, do we have time to make it to the bathroom before they get home?"

"Sure… What do you have in mind?"

"Join me in the shower?"

"Ok… C'mon, let's go…"

Bella sat up and I slid out of bed. I grabbed the towel I'd used earlier and wrapped it back around my waist. Bella got up and wrapped the sheet around herself. She walked over to the closet and took a blue silk robe out, hung it over her arm, and looked back at me. I smiled. I liked having her things in my room, or maybe our room? I opened the door and we went down the hall to the bathroom. We stepped inside and I shut the door behind us.

It wasn't a huge bathroom. I turned to Bella as she turned towards me from hanging up her robe on the back of the door. She was back in my arms, and my lips were moving on hers. Somehow my towel disappeared, but that damn sheet was still between us as my hands moved on her, caressing her perfect body.

"Edward, the shower?" Bella asked as she pulled back and broke our kiss.

I stepped away and ran the water for the shower while Bella unwrapped the sheet from around her body and stuffed it in the hamper.

I reached for her hand and pulled her back up against me, circling her waist with my arms, letting my hands come to rest on her smooth tight butt as I stepped back pulling her into the shower with me. I wouldn't have been able to move her if she wasn't willing but she playfully laid her hands on my chest and giggled as I pulled her into the shower with me.

The hot water cascaded down over us running off in tiny rivulets as I turned her and pushed her against the back wall of the shower. Her hands moved up my chest as she snaked my arms around my neck, and tangled her hands in my hair lightly scraping her nails against my scalp, pulling herself up my body to meet my face. Her open lips found mine as she sighed against my mouth. I ran my tongue against her bottom lip, tasting her, and then I sucked it between my lips for a second.

My hands reached down around her thighs, lifting her, pulling her up to meet me as her willing legs spread around me and locked around my waist. I reached down between our bodies with one hand and positioned my suddenly steel hard cock between her folds, pressing against her opening.

Bella pushed her tongue into my mouth deepening our kiss as I rocked my hips forward sinking my cock into her in one long hard smooth thrust.

It was smooth and silky and impossibly tight as I sank deep into her steel embrace. I felt the slick velvety strength of her tongue exploring my mouth. It was slick and sweet and erotic and I wanted it to go on forever as I stroked into her while she made love to my mouth.

I broke the kiss to catch my breath. Bella arched her back and pressed against me as she kissed along my jaw line making her way down my neck trailing electricity with every touch of her hungry lips.

She moaned my name as I slammed her against the wall of the shower thrusting hard and deep with every stroke. My pubic bone ground against her clit as I stroked rhythmically, pounded into her, lifting my hips to rock back and then slam forward to the hilt again and again.

"God Bella… you're so tight… So good…" I groaned as I moved deep inside her.

"Oh god… Edward fuck me! Oh god…" She moaned against my throat as I thrust into her.

I pulled back and rocked my hips forward thrusting into her slick wetness, moving faster as she held me with her legs wrapped around my waist. Bella rocked her hips to meet my thrusts, and we crashed together as our bodies moved in time to the pulsating throb of the bond that joined her essence to mine.

"Oh god… Edward Harder! God… Fuck me… Fuck me harder!" Bella groaned.

I braced my legs as I pressed her body back against the shower wall and I hammered into her, thrusting hard and fast with her legs wrapped tight around me and her hands gripped my back as she pulled me against her.

"God… Edward… I'm gonna… God I'm almost there!" she moaned getting louder as she got closer to the edge.

Bella moaned loud, pressing her mouth against my shoulder and I felt her teeth sink into my skin. There was a sharp pain for a fraction of a second and the familiar euphoric sensation as her teeth sank through my skin. The unexpected pain shocked me as she lost the battle for control and her inner animal reveled in her abandon. Her eyes rolled back in her head showing only the whites as I thrust hard and fast into her. She clenched hard around my solid cock and her legs gripped me tight as her orgasm carried her away.

"Uhnn… Oh God… Bella! I'm gonna… God… So close…" I panted against her neck as I plunged deep into her pussy, driving to the hilt hard and fast!

I was at the brink, thrusting more urgently as I reached my limit. I thrust hard one last stroke and then buried myself to the hilt inside her throbbing pussy. I felt the tingling at the base of my cock in my balls and I knew I was going to come as I shot deep inside Bella. The orgasm ripped through me and I felt the blissful sensation as my hot juice shot out of me flooding into her.

She held me almost painfully tight as our orgasms rocked through us, and then we started to come back to our selves. Bella's tongue was pressed against my shoulder, where her teeth had torn my shin. She swiped her tongue over the bite leaving the familiar pleasant tingling sensation in its wake, and then she was kissing back up my neck. She held my face and kissed me while I was still deep inside her and she caressed my back as she held me against her.

After a minute, I pulled out slowly while looking deep into Bella's eyes. Her legs unwrapped from around my waist and I lowered until her feet touched the shower floor.

She snaked my arms around my neck reaching for me, and tangled her hands in my hair lightly scraping her nails against my scalp, pulling my face down to hers as I leaned in to meet her. She greeted me eagerly and lovingly sucked my bottom lip between hers for a second. She held me close and crushed my lips with hers. Her open lips found mine as she panted against my mouth. Then she was deepening our kisses, exploring my mouth as she pushed in her tongue.

Finally I broke our kiss and took a half step back. I reached for the soap and a wash cloth and worked lather into the cloth.

"Maybe we should wash now. We are in the shower after all," I said as I smiled at her.

"Ok, let's get washed, but I want to do this again. I enjoy taking a shower with you…"

I used the soapy cloth to tenderly scrub Bella clean, and she let me turn her around and scrub her back. Then she took the cloth from me and returned the favor intimately cleaning my body for me. We stood together in the stream of hot water, letting it rinse the soap from us as I found her lips one last time.

I pressed my open lips to hers and felt the tip of her tongue tenderly ghost across my lips. The tip of my tongue found hers and danced together for an instant, and then I felt her arms move and the water shut off.

I sighed as I broke the kiss and then opened the shower door and stepped out. I handed Bella the last towel on the rack, and then stepped away to reach into the cabinet under the sink to find a dry towel for myself.

I finished getting dried off, and wrapped the towel around my waist to go back to my room to get dressed. Bella slipped into the blue silk robe she'd brought with her, and we went out the door.

Bella stopped in front of the guest room door. "Edward, I have some clothes in here. I'll get dressed. Come get me before you go down stairs?"

"Of course, love…" I reached for her and pulled her back into my arms and kissed her again. She melted up against me holding me as I kissed her, then she pushed me away…

"Go get dressed, or I'll end up dragging you in here with me, and then we'll have to get back in the shower again…" she said as she reached for the door knob.

"Is that such a bad thing?" I teased, but I stepped back to put more distance between us.

"Go on, or we'll never make it downstairs today…" She looked at me wistfully for a second, and then shook herself as if to break the spell and disappeared through the door.

I stood there staring until I heard the latch click shut as she closed the door, and then I turned and went down the hall to my room and got dressed. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a dark blue button down shirt. I pulled on some running shoes and grabbed my wallet and cell phone off the desk and I was good to go.

I went down to the guest room, and the door opened almost as my knuckle touched the wood to knock. Bella stepped into the hallway, and I was amazed at the transformation. She was still totally hot, but she'd gone from sultry sex goddess to American teenager in practically the blink of an eye. She was wearing jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt that covered the backs of her hands and wrists. There was another short sleeved t-shirt with an intricate print pattern layered over the first, and she was wearing sneakers today. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she stood in front of me with her fingers hanging in the pockets of my jeans as she looked up at me shyly.

I reached out and caressed her perfect silky smooth cheek and along her jaw with my finger tips. Then I lifted her chin and kissed her. She melted against me and returned the kiss, but then stepped back.

"Be good, Edward… Alice is downstairs and Esme could step into the hall any minute. C'mon, let's go talk to them…"

"Ok, let's go… but I can't guarantee I can be good this close to you." I said with a smirk. I took her hand in mine and we went to the stairs.

She rolled her eyes at me as we went down the stairs. "You're incorrigible. I suppose you're always good…? At least be nice in public."

"How nice do you want me to be?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind. I playfully pulled her against me and kissed her neck beneath her ear. She moaned as she felt my erection grind into her back side.

"Be nicer than that!" She slapped at my hands and pushed them off, but she had a huge smile on her face. She grabbed my hand and pulled me back next to her as we walked into the room.

Somebody cleared their throat loudly. "Jeez, you two! Get a room! I didn't think I'd see you guys all day." Alice exclaimed as she playfully rolled her eyes at our antics, but there was a smile behind her expression of mock disapproval.

"We had a room, but Bella wanted to come down and see what we have planned for the weekend." I remarked as I sat down on the sofa and pulled Bella down next to me. She snuggled close, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She laid her head against my chest, and snaked her arms around my waist as she tucked her feet up under herself.

"So, how did everything work out with Katy?" I asked a little apprehensively.

Esme came walking down the stairs with her arm linked in the crook of Carlisle's arm. She kissed him lightly at the bottom of the stairs and he went to sit on the love seat as she walked to the bar and poured herself a drink. She looked over at Bella, with a questioning glance, and Bella nodded.

"I think Katy took it ok." Esme said as she collected another glass and poured. "Obviously she was scared, but she knows what not to do now if she wants to stay alive. I gave her the options and told her to think it over for a couple of days, and then we'd talk. If she's sensible, she'll let me take her to Seattle next week to give her oath. Then we shouldn't have anything to worry about. She'll be registered, and if she screws up it's out of our hands."

Esme set the bottle down and picked up the glasses, crossing the room as she spoke, and handed a glass to Bella. She went to the loveseat and sat down next to Carlisle. She set her drink down on a coaster on the table next to her seat and looked at us sitting cuddled together with a bright smile on her face.

"Ok, that takes care of Katy for now," Alice said. "I want to go to Seattle this weekend, today. I know Jasper isn't here in Forks, or I'd feel it, and I can't stand it anymore. Edward has come to his senses, and accepted his bond with Bella. You two finally have your relationship headed in the right direction. I want to talk to Jasper are get everything settled with him. I've waited long enough, and it's my turn."

"Alright, Alice, that's fine with me. I wanted to take Carlisle to Seattle and show him the club this weekend too. He should meet the rest of the family, and I'm sure he wants to talk to Jasper too."

"Yes, I would like to have an opportunity to talk to Jasper about you two, and I'd like to see Esme's club and meet the rest of her family as well." Carlisle said.

"Don't worry, dad, you're going to get along with Jasper just fine. I'm sure you'll love him almost as much as I do. Besides, with what happened with Jacob last night, we should probably clear out for a couple of days until Sam can get him calmed down."

"What's wrong with Jacob?" Bella asked. "What happened last night?"

"You didn't tell her, Edward?" Alice asked.

"I didn't tell her about Katy either and she knew. I assumed she would have heard when you told Esme."

"Who is this Jacob, and why is he an issue?" Esme asked.

"I hadn't brought it up yet, Edward." Alice said. "Jacob Black is the son of one of the Tribal Counsel members on the Quileute Reservation. Sam Uley has been keeping an eye on him because he's pretty sure he's going to phase soon to become a werewolf. Edward made the mistake of confirming all of Jacob's fears last night, and now he knows what's going to happen and why."

"Werewolf! They're real too?" Carlisle exclaimed. Apparently Esme hadn't told him everything, and he didn't have the benefit of having heard the Quileute legends like Alice and I.

"Yes, dear, they are, and they make good guards too." Esme said. "I'll explain it to you in a little bit." Then she turned back to me and Edward." Ok, so why is this a problem for us? I know it's traumatic for the new wolves when they first turn, but there isn't anything we can do to make it any easier…"

"He blames Bella for his change," Edward said. "But it's all my fault…"

"Me! What did I do?" Bella exclaimed, shocked. "I didn't make him a wolf! Why do you think it's your fault, Edward?"

"Sam was keeping him away from vampires so he wouldn't be exposed to the catalyst to trigger his change. He was hoping Jacob could have a normal life like his father, but when I took you to the airport to meet Sam, it ruined all of that. To be honest, it was probably too late for Jacob when you decided to move to Forks, but it pretty much sealed the deal when you grabbed him at Sam's shop. You were close enough to touch him. Now he blames you for what's happening to him…"

"Well you didn't have to open your big mouth and confirm that all of the legends were true for him!" Alice said. "Sam could have controlled the situation better if he was in the dark until he'd phased. Now he knows everything, and he's pissed off at the world until he phases and starts to get some control over it. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes looking for us once he turns."

"Alice is right." Bella said, watching my face with a worried expression. "We should probably get out of town for the weekend at least, or maybe until after Jacob phases, and let Sam handle this. I could probably protect us, but Jacob's your friend… You'd be angry if I had to k… hurt him…"

"Bella, love, I know you'd only do what you had to, but Jacob is my friend. If you all think leaving is the best course of action, then let's go."

"Ok, besides, Esme's Mercedes is a two-seater, and Jasper would be so angry if I let Alice drive to Seattle by herself…"

We got up and went our separate ways to get ready to leave then. Bella and I didn't need much, and I quickly packed an overnight bag. Bella had things in Seattle already and she helped me pack and changed the sheets on the bed while I got ready. Alice was ready to go when we came out of our bedroom and we went back down stairs to wait for Carlisle and Esme.

Esme had already cleared Carlisle's schedule for the weekend because she had already been planning a trip to Seattle this weekend. At least he wouldn't need to worry about his clinic while we were gone. They followed us down the stairs a couple of minutes later, and we went out to the garage to leave.

**Authors Note:**

**Llello – **(Pronounced 'yay-o', the double l's are pronounced as Y's.) Cuban-Spanish slang word for cocaine hydrochloride. It is a 'street' term for 'coke' or 'cocaine', also known as 'blow'.


	15. The Flying Dutchman

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Sorry about the delays in updating. I've had another story Idea in my head for a while, and started working on it too. This story will continue. I'm not dropping it. It has a long ways to go yet.

If you're interested, check out my new story, "Shades of Gray". The link is on my profile page.

If you thought this story was coming out of left field, and you liked it, take a look at my new one and let me know what you think.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 14 The Flying Dutchman

Alice rode with Bella and me in Bella's Charger. There had been a brief discussion about which car to take and who would drive. I wanted to drive the Volvo, but Alice and Bella overruled me and agreed that Bella should drive. I'd compromised, and Alice was sitting in the back seat while I took shotgun. Esme and Carlisle followed us in Esme's Mercedes.

I had to admit, I don't think I could have gotten us there any faster. Bella put the bright red Dodge into overdrive, and kept the gas pedal firmly pressed against the floor board except when Alice warned her to slow down or if we were passing through a town. Esme followed her lead, and we might as well have been towing the Mercedes for all that it wavered from the course that Bella set.

If I was driving, I would have had to keep my full attention on the road to even drive at a fraction of her speed. Bella was able to participate in our conversation, and the car never deviated a centimeter from our course. Like Alice had said before, it was like the car was driving down rails spiked down on the road bed instead of a simple paved highway.

We were on the road well before noon, heading north out of Forks up highway 101 on our way to Seattle. It was about a three hour trip, but with Bella driving I knew we'd make the trip a lot faster than that. A couple of times, Alice tapped her on the shoulder, and nodded ahead of us so she'd slow down. The first time Alice warned her she spoke out loud that she was slowing down for a speed trap in an almost normal voice, but just slightly louder. I turned and looked behind us after we passed the State Trooper parked on a side road, and Esme gave us the thumbs up as she thanked us for warning her.

"Did Esme hear you, just now?" I asked, surprised. I knew their hearing was good, but I was still shocked that she could hear us talking over the road noise from another car.

"Yeah, I thought I better warn her I was slowing down, so she didn't hit the back of the car. Just speak up next time Alice and she'll know what to do."

"Sure thing, Bella, no problem," Alice told her. Then a minute later continued, "So, Bella… What Esme said before about the werewolves being good guards, that part of the treaty legend is true too, isn't it. That guy that was working the door that night at the club, Josh, he was a werewolf, wasn't he."

"Yeah, Josh is a werewolf. I told Edward we had some werewolves working for us the other night, when we talked in Port Angeles. I thought he would have told you by now."

"We haven't had a chance to talk about it yet." Alice told her. "So how does that work? You guys just hire them and pay them to work for you as mercenaries?"

"It was like that in the old days. Some of the families still bid on the new wolves that come out of La Push and hire them on contract. The La Push wolves usually have stronger genes, and better control. Sam's the first one in nearly thirty years that didn't go to work for one of the clans, but most of the wolves that work for us are born into the packs that a lot of the families keep. They still get paid damn good, but we don't have to recruit them anymore."

"Sam imprinted when he went back to La Push after the first time he phased." I said "His girlfriend, Emily didn't want to go to Seattle. Sam said she wasn't cut out for that kind of life."

"That makes sense. If a wolf imprints, they'll do anything to keep their mate happy. If Emily said let's stay in La Push, then that's exactly what Sam would do to keep her happy."

"So how rare is this imprinting thing then? Sam said it doesn't happen often, but if they don't imprint, then they have I higher sex drive instead?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. None of our wolves have imprinted, but they don't call them wolves for nothing. They're always sniffing around some girl, trying to make a date or get in their pants. Actually they're pretty good about it, and know how to take no for an answer, but it doesn't keep them from trying. They can be kind of annoying sometimes, but Esme runs a tight ship, and Jasper's good at maintaining discipline."

"Having plenty of girls around is usually part of the standard contract, but it's all voluntary. Rose wouldn't stand for anything less. Besides, Emmett doesn't let them get away with much. Lucky for them, they're actually pretty good looking and attractive in a sort of primal masculine way. Working for somebody that runs a night club has some perks. A lot of the girls don't seem to mind at all, as long as they understand that these guys aren't looking for a commitment and aren't really capable of making one."

"So, these wolves fight for you? How do you get away with that, and keep it secret? Sam was fucking huge in his wolf form, and I'd think it would be kind of noticeable if a bunch of giant wolves started a fight in the city."

"They mostly work as guards and internal security to help defend against rival families. We keep our fights private and off of the streets. If the wolves do other work, we don't send them on jobs where humans are likely to see them. Even if they did, most humans don't want to believe that they're real, and would try to rationalize the experience as something else that their mind can accept. Worse case scenario, we might have to do some clean up work. Put the right spin on a news story, make a couple of pay offs, tamper with video footage, or eliminate some witnesses, but that doesn't happen often to even the sloppiest families."

"Isn't that attitude a little caviler? Do you actually condone the murdering of innocent bystanders?"

"I suppose it would seem like that, but if it protects my family I'd probably accept it. I did say it was worst case. I don't like to think we'd condone indiscriminate massacre of innocents if it came right down to it. We've just never had a case where it's been necessary, at least my family hasn't. We're careful to avoid that eventuality, but it would still be a violation of the laws our kind live with. Even if we didn't personally take care of it, somebody else would, and then we'd have to live with the consequences of our inaction"

"What consequences?"

"We would be considered just as guilty if we exposed the secret to somebody, and then didn't do anything to fix the problem. That's why we have to deal with Katy. We're responsible for her keeping the secret now, one way or the other. I understand why you don't want us to kill her, and we won't if we can avoid it. It's really up to her now."

"I guess if we have to deal with this, we should take care of it ourselves. I made the mistake. I should be responsible for cleaning it up." I sat stoically in my seat as I thought about this and what I should have done differently.

"We're partners now, Edward. I'll help you however this turns out, ok?" Bella said as the corners of her lips turned up into a grin.

"Sure, partner. This is my problem, but I'll let you help…" She leaned over and gave me a quick peck on the lips. The car never wavered as much as a centimeter from its path as she kissed me, leaving a wide grin on my face too.

"God, you two…! Give it a rest! I should have rode in Esme's trunk if I knew you two were going to be so sickeningly sweet all the way to Seattle!

"Oops" Bella said with a grin as she moved back to her side of the seat. She sat up straight and focused on the road, but kept making furtive glances in my direction.

We stopped in Sequim for a bathroom break to fill up the car with gas. Carlisle started to fill up the Mercedes with gas, and then Esme was whispering in his ear. They disappeared into the convenience store holding hands, and I went and hung up the pump nozzle when the tank was full. I was about to send Alice to go look for them, but I caught the exasperated look in her eye and turned to see what had her flustered. Carlisle and Esme were coming out of the restroom together. Carlisle looked a little flushed with a light sheen of sweat on his brow like he had exerted himself. Esme was adjusting her dress. I turned back around and just paid for the gas so we could get out of here. The kid at the check stand had a knowing look on his face and winked at me as he handed over the credit receipt.

God, Parents! You'd think they'd know better at their age. This was just too much information to deal with. I went back outside shaking my head. You just couldn't take them anywhere, could you? I glanced at the Mercedes and the way they were cuddled together in the seat. I hurried back to the car got into the front seat of Bella's Charger and we got back on the road.

We stayed on 101, but turned off onto Highway 104 towards to ferry dock in Kingston when highway 101 turned south. We took the ferry to Edmonds, and we were in the city even though we weren't even in Seattle yet. The urban sprawl of the greater Seattle Metropolitan area surrounded us and spread out as far as the eye could see. The sprawl extended well past Seattle proper all the way past Tacoma to the south end of the sound, and started to creep across the base of the Olympic peninsula

We were quiet and didn't talk much until we got to the ferry in Kingston, and I tried to get the conversation started again.

"Can you tell me more about your family, Bella? I know you consider Esme to be your mother, and Emmett your big brother. How do the rest fit in? What about Esteban and Jasper and Rose? Is there anyone else I should know about?"

"Rose is like the big sister I never had, the way she looks out for me. Jasper is kind of like the serious older brother that takes care of business. Emmett and Jasper are like brother that way."

"You know where one of them is always looking for a good time and having fun, and then there's the responsible one that looks out for everyone and makes sure we take care of business."

"All of us think of Esme as our mom, except maybe Esteban. Esteban doesn't really give off a 'fatherly' vibe, although he's the oldest in our clan. It's not a paternal feel at all, although he's definitely the leader. If I had to name a family relationship for Esteban, I'd have to say stern uncle or maybe godfather… I know, before you even say it. It's a little cliché considering our line of work… It's just how I feel."

"Isn't that kind of a small crew for the inner circle of your Clan? Considering our line of work…"

"That's just the immediate family. We have some extended family up in Denali, in Alaska that we all consider cousins. Esme thinks of Tanya and Irina as almost sisters, although they aren't involved in the business. We have a lot of associates that take care of the family business. Besides, the inner circle is about to grow significantly."

"So who's been in the family the longest, Esme or Jasper, or is it one of the others? Why did Esteban bring you all together in the first place?"

"You know, Esme can hear everything we're talking about. Don't you think it would be more polite when she can answer your questions in person?"

"…are you sure?"

"Ok, Esme doesn't mind, and she's surprised we haven't discussed this before," Bella glanced back at Alice, but she just nodded to her, that it was alright with her too.

"Jasper is the oldest, next to Esteban. He's been with him the longest and helped him get established to test out the Volturi's new agenda for relaxing such tight control of the secret in favor of expansion and working more closely with the human world. They traveled through the northern part of the United States and parts of Canada when the Volturi first started to relax the rules about humans."

"It's still hard for Jasper to get used to being able to move around during the day. He spent most of his early life down south in Texas, Mexico, and Central America. The vampires down there are very 'traditional'."

"What do you mean by 'traditional'?" Alice asked.

"They hunt humans, and live the old ways. A lot of them believe that drinking animal blood is unnatural. There were horrible wars among the Southerners. At first they fought for territory and hunting rights. Later it devolved into an endless series of vendetta and retribution as one Clan or another was getting revenge for a death or settling the score. Jasper was born into the middle of that. He led his Clans armies for Maria for nearly fifty years before the Volturi finally stepped in and ended the wars."

"How did they end the wars?" Alice asked again.

"The way the Volturi always handle that kind of problem…, they sent in the guard and wiped out all of the opposing Clans until there was nobody left to fight and cause problems. Esteban spared Jasper and recruited him to run his personal household guard because of his gift."

"Aro closed the South and declared most of it off limits to let the humans rebuild so the vampire hysteria would die down. For decades, it was a wasteland down south, with scattered survivors living in hiding as nomads. It's only recently been opened back up to let the Clans rebuild as long as they follow the new lifestyle."

"Jasper has been working for Esteban ever since the end of the Great Southern Wars. They were looking for somebody to run a club for them when they 'recruited' Esme."

"Recruited, how?" I asked

"Esme was the victim of a disastrous marriage to an abusive husband. She divorced him, but was branded as an outcast and scarlet woman in pre-1920's America. Her infant son died from a fever the winter after she left her husband. She almost tried to kill herself, she was so despondent over the loss of her son, but she found the willpower to walk away from the cliff she'd considered jumping off of. She was absolutely destitute with nothing but the clothes on her back. She was alone in the world. She was already dead to her family. There was no one to notice whether or not she lived or died."

"She made her way to Chicago, where her fortunes improved when Prohibition was enacted in 1919. She found employment as a 'hostess' in the speak easies but the club owners soon figured out she made more money for them behind the bar instead of on her back. She rapidly progressed into management, running a very successful speak easy for an underworld organized crime family."

"Esteban and Jasper were studying how the speak easies operated as a model for the club they wanted to open in Rochester, New York. They hired Esme to manage the new club they were opening. Of course Esteban failed to mention that there were certain prerequisites to employment. Like having to be a vampire, but he made her an offer she couldn't refuse. She has been a member of Esteban's clan managing Clubs for him ever since."

"An offer she couldn't refuse?"

"Sure, eternal life or no life at all. It isn't a tough decision for most people. Either you take it, or you don't have to worry about it ever again."

"That doesn't seem like much of a choice."

"I suppose, but she says she's happy with her decision and she's glad she made that choice."

"Sure, but if she'd made the other choice, we'd have never heard of her. So who was next? Were they 'recruited" like Esme, too?"

"Not exactly, no. Rose was next. Esme needed help in the club and she had been searching for suitable candidates, but she didn't want to repeat how she'd been brought on board, so to speak. She'd considered somebody with Roses' gifts and talents, but she was too high profile to make disappear. Rose had a tragic 'encounter with violent street crime' that left her near death when Esme found her bleeding to death in an alley. Esme made a snap decision and took her back to the Club. She asked Esteban to change her to save her life, and Rose has been part of the family ever since."

"A tragic 'encounter with violent street crime'? How do you know that Esteban didn't manufacture this circumstance to assuage Esme's feelings to make it ok for her to recruit Rose?"

"I'm leaving out a lot of details that are personal, Edward. It isn't my story to tell. You can ask Rose for the rest of the story if you don't believe me. Trust me, Jasper and Esteban had nothing to do with this. They did help Rose exact her revenge, but that was several years later when she'd learned some control."

"Ok, I don't know the whole story. It just sounded a little convenient that Esme had considered somebody like Rose, and then suddenly she turns up near death and ready to be turned. So what exactly does Rose do for the family?"

"Yeah, that does make it sound kind of too easy when you say it like that, but that's my fault for how I'm telling the story. It wasn't like that. Rose helps in the day to day operation of the club, manages the "talent", and tends bar. Think of her as assistant manager."

"Huh, alright, I'm sorry I questioned you. I believe you. So, Emmett was the last one besides you? Are you allowed to tell his story?"

"Yeah, Emmett was next. Rose found Emmett near death in the forest while she was hunting. Emmett was in the woods and was attacked by the bear he was hunting. Rose felt an immediate connection to him so she killed the bear before it could finish him off and brought Emmet to Esteban to change him. She carried his bleeding body over 100 miles back to Rochester to Esteban's Club."

"Emmett has been trained to fight by Esteban and Jasper. He works in the club as a guard, bouncer and security for the clan."

"So do Emmett and Rose do work for the Family business too? You know, the contracts like we were talking about, or is that something just you and Jasper do?"

"They help out when we need them. Jasper did most of the special jobs for Esteban that we had to keep quiet. You've got to understand that Esteban always farmed the majority of this work out to his Volturi subordinates and contacts. He had a huge advantage as First Sword of the Volturi for the Pacific Northwest that the other Clans didn't have."

"When Aro made Esteban go back to Volterra, we lost most of our muscle and strike force. Jasper didn't have the contacts that Esteban did, and he couldn't call on the guard to do jobs for us. Suddenly we were only as powerful as the other Clans in our region, and they started to take advantage of that weakness."

"Why did Aro make Esteban go back to Volterra then? Didn't he send him here to build all of this in the first place? Why would he turn on him now?"

"The hard part is done now, I guess. The power structure is established and everything's running smoothly. Aro didn't need Esteban here like he did in the early days when they were moving into this area. Esteban found something Aro wanted, and he refused to give it to him. Now Aro's punishing him by letting the other Clans destroy what he's spent more than a century building."

"What did he find? What's worth letting everything he's built for so long be destroyed?"

"Edward…" Alice tried to interrupt.

"No, Alice. I need to hear this. What did Aro want that Esteban wouldn't give him? What could possibly be worth all of this? You know there's a war brewing in Seattle! It's going to rip the city apart. It'll be years before this settles back down. A lot of people are going to die for this. And not just wise guys and the Clans. A lot of Innocent…"

"Stop it! Don't you think I know all of this! I don't want this to happen… It's all my fault…"

"What do you mean, Bella? How is this your fault?"

"Don't you get it, Edward? Esteban found me. Aro wanted my gift, and Esteban refused to order me to go to Volterra to serve on the guard. He went in my place so I wouldn't have to join the Volturi. If I had gone to Volterra, I would have been required to serve for a minimum of fifty years, but I don't think Aro would have given me up even then. My gift would be too powerful to him."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't understand. I still don't really understand everything. I saw you fight Billy, but I don't have any experience with this. What do you do that's special?"

"Well, you remember I told you some vampires have special abilities?"

"Right, you said Billy could make people freeze in place, but you were immune to that…"

"Exactly, most of the special abilities affect the mind. Billy didn't really freeze you; he made your mind think you couldn't move. I have a kind of mental shield that makes me immune to the mental abilities of other vampires. I haven't met a vampire yet that's been able to get past my shield. The shield doesn't just protect me, either. I'm learning to project it so I can shield other people that are close to me too."

"That's not all you can do though, is it. There's more, you have another ability too."

"Yeah, I thought you'd figure that out. It's very very rare that a vampire has an ability that truly affects the physical world, but my shield doesn't just shield my mind. It can physically block out the senses too. I can shield against the senses, but it's not an illusion. The shield bends light so I can't be seen. It blocks my scent so I can't be tracked the sense of smell. It blocks sounds I make so I can't be heard and tracked by sound. I'm fairly sure it blocks touch and taste as well, but if I can't be seen it's easy to avoid being touched."

"So that's how you vanished when you were fighting Billy! You can turn invisible to the five senses? That's amazing!"

"Sure, cool, isn't it? But it takes a lot of concentration to use, especially in a fight. That's what Jasper's been helping me work with. I have to learn to control my emotions, the invisibility thing really only works when I'm passive and calm, when I'm peaceful. You saw what happened in the fight. As soon as I started to attack, I became visible and Billy had time to react."

"Not enough time to save his ass. You blew him away and saved both of us. So this is why Aro wants you?"

"Yeah, don't you see it? I'm the perfect assassin. Total stealth to any vampires senses, even specially enhanced senses, because it's a physical block, not mental. It doesn't matter if they have better hearing or smell if I make no sound and have no scent. My invisibility isn't an illusion. I effect the physical pathway of the light to bend around me. I'm immune to all of the other mental special abilities. So as long as I'm a decent fighter I can take out my target before they even know what hit them. And then on top of all of that, I'm learning to project so I can shield a hand picked strike team."

"But you don't want to be an assassin, and that's exactly what Aro would make you do if you were forced to work for him."

"Yeah, Esteban saw that. He knew what it would do to me if I went to the Volturi, and what that would do to Esme and Rose. It would tear our family apart just as much as being attacked by the rival clans would."

"This just sucks. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Either way is a raw deal, but Esteban will be back in another five years, right?"

"At least this way I have a fighting chance to do the right thing. I can fight to defend my family, and I don't have to be an assassin. Esteban had to serve a ten year term, and he's been there for five years, but there's really nothing to stop Aro from demanding another ten years when he's done with this term."

"How can he do that! Aren't there rules for this kind of thing? How can he get away with that?"

"He writes the rules. He's been calling the shots over there for the last three thousand years."

"So this, Aro, he's the boss? Alice said he's Esteban's boss. How does that work?"

"The Volturi rule our world. There are three of them at the top. Aro, Caius, and Marcus, but Aro really runs the show. He's Capo di Tutti Capi, the 'Boss of Bosses', although all three of the ruling Clan are supposed to be part of a triumvirate council and have equal say in how things are run. Caius runs the guard and he's the enforcer. He's in charge of security. Marcus is Cantabile; he's the financial advisor, and handles the books and investments."

"Technically, Esteban reports to Caius, but Aro really calls the shots. He's the strategist."

"So if these top three are all supposed to be equal, why do they let Aro run things?"

She shrugged as we raced down the Interstate. "Its just the way the power structure has shaken out over the last three thousand years. Besides, Aro knows all and sees all. He has more information to work with than the rest."

"What do you mean, can he see me now? Does he even know I exist?"

"No, he can't see you this instant, but he probably knows about you by now. His ability doesn't work like that, but he has a truly extensive spy network. They monitor the internet, the news services, police reports and a bunch of international law enforcement computer databases just for starters. His analysts report to him daily and he reads them. Aro can know every thought you've ever had, see everything you've ever seen, and everything you've ever experienced simply by touching you. When his network reports to him, he knows everything they know."

"Imagine having an information gathering network that puts the CIA to shame, and then being able to assimilate and process all of that data. How did you think we've been able to keep our existence a secret from the humans for so many centuries?"

"Ok, so he can anticipate threats and identify potential leaks. He's still just one man. What if a reporter was gonna publish a news story about vampire attacks, or there were pictures on the evening news. How do they stop that from happening?"

"Why do you think the Volturi Guard has a base of operations set up in Seattle? Or Chicago, New York, LA, Washington D.C., and a thousand other cities? In the old days, a local magistrate could handle things on their own, and request assistance from Volterra if things got out of hand. They could just take care of the problem, maybe a small purge of humans that knew too much. Today, events like you described require a quicker response and more direct action. There are teams stationed all around the world to handle those kinds of situations."

I was quiet and contemplated what Bella had told us as she drove southeast on the 104 until we hit Interstate 5, and merged onto the freeway heading south. It was exhilarating to be driving on a freeway again, despite the depressing turn of the conversation. There was a lot of traffic on the I-5, but it moved at a decent enough pace for me, and I enjoyed seeing so many cars again. Living in a small town like Forks was like being cut off from the world and it felt like I had been paroled from my sentence and set free. I'd grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and was used to the Urban Sprawl. I was ready to take on the world and I couldn't wait until this was part of my everyday life instead of an infrequent visit.

We cruised south on I-5 into the heart of the city, and I felt a familiar thrill looking up at the glass and steel skyscrapers that dominated the downtown business district. Bella merged off the freeway onto Union Street and we dove down into the crowded manmade canyon between the rows of steel and glass towers in the manmade concrete jungle. We were heading northwest as we wound through the deep shadows of the dimly lit city under an overcast sky moving through the downtown maze of streets.

We were on a side street in the heart of downtown, circling one of the steel and glass towers. I recognized the addresses from my research and I knew we were close to our destination. Bella turned down another small dark side street, and then pulled into a driveway about halfway down the block. She used a remote control from her purse and pressed a button. The steel bar gate in front of us slid open, and we drove down the ramp into a dimly lit parking garage under the tower. The gate behind slid closed behind Esme's Mercedes, as we drove down into the depths of the garage.

The security systems were fairly impressive, and I knew that this part of the building should be fairly safe from attack. An attacker would be truly desperate to try and penetrate this fortress from the garage. We ended up parking in a brightly lit parking garage several levels below ground. There was a huge four-wheel drive jeep parked next to the convertible, and I could see a row of motorcycles further down in the garage. There were another couple of rows of expensive looking cars behind us. Bella parked next to the red M3 convertible that I'd seen at all of my cross country meets this season. The shiny black Mercedes sedan from the police station was parked here too.

We got our bags out of the trunk and waited for Carlisle and Esme. We took an elevator out of the garage and started up into the tower. I knew we were up near the top of the tower when the car finally stopped and the doors opened.

We stepped out of the elevator into the living room of what looked like a huge apartment. The main room was open through three floors of the building. The color scheme was all subdued pastels and subtle shades of white on white. The great room was furnished with several distinct furniture groups of couches and armchairs. Some of the groupings looked to be setup for conversation or quiet contemplation and reading while one group was setup for viewing a huge flat screen TV. The north wall was three stories of glass and the view looked out over the lights of the city. The view of Seattle was spectacular, and I could see the Space Needle and the monorail northwest of us.

Esme led us across the room to a broad curved stairway and turned to talk to us as we started up the stairs to the second level.

"Carlisle and I are going to go upstairs and freshen up from the drive over. Bella, why don't you get Edward and Alice settled. You can show Edward around if you like, or maybe you'd like to 'freshen up' as well…?"

"I'm fine, Esme," Alice said. "Where can I find Jasper? We need to talk. There are no more excuses for avoiding me now. I'm not waiting any longer."

"I'm sure he knows we're here, Alice. He would have been notified when we accessed the security system to enter the building. Just go with Bella and Edward, and he'll come find you, dear."

"I can probably just find him, Esme. I have a pretty good idea where to look."

"I don't want you to get hurt dear. The security isn't familiar with you yet, and it isn't safe to just wander around. We'll introduce you to all the staff this weekend. Do you still have the necklace Bella gave you?"

Alice reached up and pulled the necklace out of the collar of her shirt so it was outside of her shirt now.

"Good. Wear it like that this weekend so people know who you are, and everything should be fine."

We were up at the top of the stairs now and Esme turned to go a different way than Bella, Alice and I, but turned back for a second.

"Shall we meet at the Flying Dutchman for dinner? I know all of you need to eat. Why don't you take the afternoon to relax and explore, then we can meet downstairs around seven?"

"That sounds like a wonderful plan, Esme," Carlisle said, and Alice and I nodded our assent. Then Esme and Carlisle turned and walked down the hall.

Bella led us up another stairway at the end of another hallway up to the third level to a balcony that overlooked the great room below. The view out over the living area was spectacular, and then we followed Bella down another hallway with widely spaced sets of doors. We stopped in front of a set of double doors, and then Bella pushed one of the doors open. We walked into what looked like a private apartment.

The first room was a living room with a sofa and loveseat and some low tables. The room was all earth tones and desert hues, and there were a couple of potted cactus on the tables. There was a large wall unit entertainment center with a flat screen TV and a DVD player. A large potted saguaro cactus was standing next to the wall unit. It looked like there was a stereo system inside the glass doors of the cabinet. Along the wall to the right was a well stocked wet bar with a counter and three barstools in front. There were more rooms to the left.

I could tell Bella got mad when we walked in, and if she could blush I'm sure she would have been bright red. On the wall directly across from the door was a framed poster size print of Bella in her Home Coming dress with the tiara pinned to the top of her head. She had that deer in the head lights look on her face as she stared at the camera with a shocked smile.

Bella groaned, and then said, "Wait here," and she turned and walked down the short hallway to the left into the adjoining room. I heard her give an exasperated sigh, and it sounded like she was shuffling some things around, then she came back into the living room.

"Ok, Edward you can leave our things here. The bathroom and shower is through here off the bedroom," she said as she pointed behind herself into the room she'd just come from. "C'mon, Alice, you can have the suite across the hall where the girls got dressed last time we were here until you and Jasper make some other arrangements."

"Why don't you just take me to Jasper's rooms, Bella? I'll probably be spending most of my time there for a while…"

"Jasper doesn't have a specific set of rooms to call home, Alice. He's never had any use for a bed since he's lived here. He spends most of his private time in the study downstairs. I believe he has a small closet somewhere off the study to store his clothes, but he travels pretty light. Wherever you decide to setup and call your room will be just fine with him."

"Well, I suppose the suite across the hall will do for now, but the closet is much too small for my tastes. I'll discuss it with Jasper later."

I carried my overnight bag into the bedroom that Bella had indicated while she talked to Alice. The room was decorated in shades of blue. There was a royal blue velvet comforter on the queen-size bed. There was a matching bedroom set of dressers, a nightstand, and a large desk in the corner. Along one wall were several well stocked bookshelves and there was a comfortable looking overstuffed chair with a floor lamp and small table next to it where it looked like you could curl up with a good book. There was a walk-in closet on one side of the doorway, and the bathroom on the other.

I heard the door close and then the sound of a drinks being poured at the bar. Bella walked into the room with me and handed me a drink standing close in front of me as she looked up into my eyes.

"So this is home? It's nice, I like it."

"Thank you. Yes, this is where I called home until we decided to go to Forks. I'm going to kill Emmett though, if he doesn't stay out of here and stop redecorating! It was bad enough the last time I came home but this has got to stop!"

"Do you mean the poster in the other room? I kind of like it, and you have to admit, that's pretty fast work. I can't believe that was just last night. It seems like another lifetime ago."

"You don't regret making that choice, do you? Are you happy, Edward?"

"No, I have no regrets, and I am very happy. I can't believe how stupid I was to drag this out for so long. Can you forgive me for what I must have put you through?"

"You're forgiven. I'm happy with the choice you made. So, what do you want to do this afternoon? Shall we 'freshen up'?" Bella pressed herself up against me and wrapped her arms around my waist while being careful not to spill her drink. "Or did you have something else in mind?"

I looked down at Bella, and I liked the thought of having her all to myself in her private suite, but I was also really curious about the rest of the setup and the club downstairs. I held her close to me and then took a sip of my drink.

"Not that I'm opposed to 'freshening up' if you'd like, but I think I'd like to take a look around and get the lay of the land first. I've heard a lot about your club here and where your family lives, and I'd like to take a look around. That is if you're up for a little exploring?"

"Exploring's cool. Come here for a minute first, though. I have something for you." Bella stepped away and went to the desk and set her glass down. I followed her over and she took something out of the desk.

"Here, let me see your wrist…" I held out my right hand, but she shook her head. "No, the other one."

She slipped a leather wrist cuff with metal medallion coin onto my left wrist. The coin was emblazoned with a version of the Moreno crest. The design on the coin looked like the same family crest on Bella's necklace and Jasper's wrist cuff. It had the crossed swords and the fist between the points, and the background was quartered in gold and silver, but the three green shamrocks across the bottom had been replaced with the single red heart below the handles of the swords.

"Let me guess, the crest has a heart instead of shamrocks because I'm still human, right? You know, I've seen this crest around in other places besides your immediate family, but it was different. When I went to the police station on Tuesday the lawyer that Jasper brought and the policeman we talked to were both wearing it. Why was the background different on Jason Scott and Captain Brooks rings? It was red and silver instead of silver and gold."

"The red and silver is for the help, retainers and trusted servants. The gold and silver background means that you're part of the family now."

"Isn't that up to Esteban? I thought he'd have to invite me in or at least talk to me."

"Nope, it doesn't work that way in any of your family's case. Once you acknowledged the mating bond, you were part of the family. I suppose if Esteban really had a problem with you he could say no, but then we'd both leave. He isn't going to break up the family, and he has no reason not to like any of you. We're a package deal now. Where you go, I go and vice versa. You need to understand, Edward, everyone here knows about your connection to me. They know you're my mate, even though we've only really been together since last night... In my world, the connection that we share since you touched my hand the dance is more permanent and binding than marriage vows are in your world. I can get you a ring if you'd prefer that instead of the wrist cuff, but that's really just a formality. You're stuck with me, buddy."

"I don't mind at all. I like being stuck to you. So can I get you a ring some time? Will you let me make an honest woman of you?"

"I never thought I'd say it, but I actually like the sound of that. Although, let's wait at least until you're out of high school first, ok? I always said I wasn't going to get married until I was thirty, but the not aging kind of puts a damper on that. At least give me until you're legal, ok?"

"I'll take that as a sign that you're at least willing, then. Don't worry, I'll give you time. It'll give me some time to prepare and do it right."

"Right… Let's explore and we can talk about this later. Much later…" Bella stepped away and turned to go back into the living room.

"Ok, let's go."

"One more thing, Edward, we'll be meeting other vampires that work for us. There'll probably be a lot of other vampires from other Clans in the club tonight, too. They'll know that you're my mate, so you don't have anything to worry about. We don't let any newborns in, and there'll be enough drinks going around making it pretty safe otherwise."

"It's alright, Bella, I'm not worried about any of that…"

"I know. I just want you to keep your eyes open and pay attention. Because of my promotion, I'll be expected to pick a crew to work for me…, for us, really. You'll be their boss just as much as I am. There are a lot of new vampires working for us. A lot of them are young, but we're not building a newborn army or anything. We've needed to build up our forces, so to speak, with Esteban out of the picture for the foreseeable future. I know you're good at reading people and whoever we pick will be with us for a long time. We don't have to make any decisions right away, but be thinking about it."

"So when you say work for us…"

"Yeah, we'll be sending them out on jobs for the family like we talked about. Collections, security work, protection, enforcing our rights to the territory we control, that kind of thing. They'll report to us and take their orders from us. Its part of my job now I guess. Rose manages all of the 'talent' and she has a staff that works for her. Emmett runs internal security and supervises the household security team. This is what I've been training for and I need to start pulling my weight."

"Ok, Any chance that any of these other vampires that we have to choose from are gifted? Anyone with a special ability we can recruit?"

"Not a chance. If they did, they'd be in the inner circle like me, and they'd be picking their own crew."

"Hmm, ok. That makes sense. C'mon let's get out of here and go take a look."

Bella opened the door and we walked back out into the hall. I was just closing the door behind myself, when Alice stepped out into the hall from the suite across the hall from Bella's apartment.

"Hey, guy's, what's going on? Taking off on me? I figured you two would be in there until dinner." Alice said with a smirk twisting the corners of her mouth up.

"We were going to go take a look around," I told Alice. "I wanted to see the rest of the layout here and check things out."

"Mind if I tag along? Jasper hasn't come up or called yet, and it's driving me crazy sitting here waiting."

"No problem, Alice," Bella told her. "Let's go take a look. I'm sure we'll probably run into Jasper somewhere along the way. I don't see how he's been able to stay away like this and not come to see you right away. I couldn't do it."

We walked back down to the end of the hall and started down the stairs when suddenly Jasper was with us on the stairs in our path.

"There you are! You kept me waiting a long time, Jasper Whitlock!" Alice exclaimed as Jasper stopped on the next step down in front of her on the stairs.

"My apologies ma'am, but I had responsibilities I had to attend to before I could follow my heart. Can you forgive me, darlin?" Jasper said as he moved in front of Alice and wrapped his arms around her waist as he looked down into her eyes.

"Just promise me that we'll be a team from now on. I want to help, and you know I can. You could have trusted me to help you, you know." Alice wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to her, and Jasper rested his forehead against hers.

"I promise, Alice. From now on, darlin, it's you and me together. Whatever happens from here on out, we're a team."

"C'mon, Jazz, let's get out of here and go someplace to talk…"

"Just talk, darling…?" Jasper asked with a lascivious grin on his face as he swept Alice up into his arms.

"Maybe not so much talking…" Alice chuckled with her arms around his neck holding him close.

Jasper and Alice disappeared back down the hallway the way we'd just come, and I heard a door open and slam closed. Suddenly Bella and I were alone on the stairway.

"Where do you think they're going?" I asked with a grin on my face.

"Where were we last night and this morning?" Bella said as she smiled back at me.

"Think we'll see them for dinner tonight?"

"Not likely considering how long Jasper has been keeping this all bottled up inside. Maybe she'll ride back to Forks with us Sunday night if she still has the strength for school on Monday."

"Ok, too much information. You know that's my sister back there. I should be defending her virtue," I commented facetiously.

"Good luck with that one! She'll kick your ass faster than Jasper will if you try to barge in there!"

We both had a good laugh on that one, and I took Bella's hand as we continued down the stairs. At least now maybe Alice would be in a better mood.

We got back down to the main floor and I could hear the TV was on now, but we didn't go over that way yet. Bella showed me around the rest of the main floor first. We spent some time exploring the vast library that she told me was Jasper and Esteban's study. They seemed most at home in this huge book lined room and Bella told me that Jasper usually spent the majority of his free time here reading and meditating.

There were another couple of rooms that looked like something out of a museum on the history of warfare, but Bella explained that this was three hundred years accumulation of souvenirs and mementos of battles fought and won by the Moreno's.

I was a little surprised that there was no kitchen, but there was what appeared to be a formal dining room with a beautiful antique mahogany table ringed with high backed chairs. I suppose it made sense because nobody that lived here had a use for a kitchen. Besides, they had a complete restaurant on the ground floor with a chef on duty if they had to entertain human guests. The main floor bathroom was fairly extensive and somewhat ostentatious considering how infrequently it was most likely used, but at least I wouldn't have to run up two flights of stairs to answer nature's call.

"Why do you have a dining room if you don't eat and you don't have a kitchen?" I asked as we were heading back to the great room.

"Actually it's more of a conference room for family meetings, but Esme fell in love with the dining room set so she found a use for it so she could keep it around. She never had nice things like that when she was human, but she can afford them now. She really loves to decorate. It's her hobby when she isn't running the club."

"Huh, makes sense I guess. You might as well do whatever makes you happy if you can afford it."

"Damn straight, little brother," Emmett commented form the couch in front of the TV. "Eternity is too long a time to sit around moping about what you could'a done or should'a done. I say it's our duty to have as much fun as we possibly can! So I see you finally figured out what's good for you and did the right thing. Welcome to the Family, Edward."

"I told you Edward would come around on his own if I just gave him some time to figure things out." Bella told him.

"Yeah, yeah, you were right, but I still don't see how you could keep from whacking the bitch. If I saw someone with Rosie, I would have totally lost it. So was I right, Edward? Pretty hot, huh? My little sis is one sweet little piece!"

"Jeez, Emmett! I am standing right here!"

"Yeah, and if you could still blush, you'd be red halfway to your toes about now. So how was it, Eddie?"

"Well, I'll thank you for the advice you gave me, but you should know a gentleman never kisses and tells. That would be rude."

"Yeah, whatever, I'll just take that shit eatin grin plastered on your face as confirmation then. I told you, unfuckingbelievable."

Emmett never took his eyes off the screen as he talked to us. I finally realized he was playing a video game as we came up behind the couch and I got a good look at what was on the flat screen. It looked familiar but was strangely different at the same time.

"Is that Halo Emmett? I asked to change the subject. "I have Halo 2, but what's up with the vehicles, and I've never seen that weapon before? Is that a hack or a game mod?"

"Nope, just one of those perks you guys were talking about. This is Halo 3, but it won't be released in the US until next year. We got a guy that works for the developers, and he got me a beta copy to test. Want to try it out? There's another controller on the table," and Emmett nodded his head toward the coffee table in front of himself.

"Absolutely not," Bella said. "I'm showing Edward around so he can see everything, and we have better things to do with our time. We're heading down to the Club next. Besides, what are you doing up here loafing? Where's Rose, and shouldn't you be off training or making sure your guys are ready for tonight?"

"Jeez, Bella, you gotta be so serious all the time now? You used to hang out with me and blast some pixels before Jazz dragged you out of town and all this mating business started. Chill out lil' sis, shit happens, just sweat the stuff you have some control over. Besides, my crew is always ready for anything. We don't have to train 24/7 to watch a bunch of yahoo's get drunk and shag tail."

"Well excuse me if I take my responsibilities seriously…"

"Responsibilities? You're playing tour guide this afternoon, of course I can see where you'd want to get that over with, so you can drag lover boy here back upstairs for some personal one on one time. Esme seems perfectly satisfied to save the tour for later after the more important stuff is taken care of. Namely being perfectly satisfied, again and again."

"Emmett, we don't need to hear that, please. Now where's Rose?"

"Down in the club making sure everything's perfect, of course. There were some deliveries this morning, and she's probably double checking her inventory. By the way, that brick you dropped off a couple of weeks ago was some primo shit, but it's about gone. Any chance you can pick up some more?"

"You liked that, huh? I'll see what I can do. Edward hooked me up with that connection. I guess those La Push dogs have their uses."

"No Shit? You got that shit from those rez boys down in La Push? Huh, they know what they're doing with that cash crop. They make a hell of a farmer even if they are too much of pussies to take a real job."

"Yeah, well I'll see what I can do. Oh, and another thing… What gives you the right to invade my personal space and take it upon yourself to redecorate my room?"

"You liked that huh? You were the one that wanted to have the high school experience, because you missed out when you were still human. I just thought I'd help you out…"

"That doesn't mean you have to put posters up in my room…"

"I thought they were really cool. The girls down in the dorms seemed to get a kick out of them…"

"You didn't…!"

"Oh c'mon, Bells, how often does one of us get to be a cheerleader, and get voted home coming queen? You should have heard all the squeals. I think you're going to be kind of popular around here for a while."

"Damn it, Emmett! I don't want to be popular. This is going too far! I'm gonna get you for this one! C'mon Edward, let's go find Rose."

Bella was pretty pissed off now, and she grabbed my hand and pulled me across the room to the elevator. She mashed the call button, and I was surprised in survived the assault.

"Hehe, bring it lil' sis, I'll watch my back. Now you two kids have fun. Be good, and if you can't be good be careful!" Emmett tossed over his shoulder as we stepped into the car and the doors closed as soon as Bella stabbed the button on the control panel.

"Argh! That buffoon just totally pisses me off sometimes! I love him like a brother, but he just… Argh! He makes me so mad! He put those posters up where my friends could see them? He's gonna pay for this!"

"So Emmett's the prankster of the family? What are we gonna do to get him back?"

"Yeah, Whatever we do, it's gotta be good. Got any suggestions?"

"Not yet, I don't know him well enough yet, but I do have an Idea. Ask Alice. This is her specialty. She'll know exactly what we need to do."

"Hmm, she is kind of devious, isn't she? We might as well turn that to our advantage for once. We'll have to see if she comes up for air anytime soon."

The elevator car dropped down through the tower, and I knew we had to be getting close to the ground level now. The car stopped and the doors opened into a relatively small elegantly decorated foyer, with rich hardwood wainscoting, hand carved baseboards and a thickly carpeted floor. The décor made me think of the styling of a bygone age from an earlier century, although the room was empty. There was a set of double doors standing open opposite the elevator. I could tell that despite the decoration to match the room, these were in reality massively armored doors that would be more at home on a bank vault than in front of an elevator in a nightclub.

"C'mon, Edward," Bella said. "Let's see what's going on." She took my hand and led me out of the elevator, across the foyer and into a hallway.

The hallway was decorated similarly to the foyer, but there were paintings and light fixtures along the walls between the doors that lined both sides of the hallway.

"Where do these doors lead, Bella," I asked as we walked down the hall.

"These are private rooms, where the girls can take a client for some privacy."

"Privacy? I thought you said that it wasn't like that."

"Not privacy for sex, Edward. Here, take a look," and she stopped in front of one of the doors and pushed it open.

We stepped inside, and the room was decorated like a small sitting room. There was an overstuffed sofa and a matching arm chair. There was an armoire against one wall, and a buffet with a tray and several bottles of liquor and glasses sitting on top. Smoking supplies were set on another tray with a glass water pipe, a tin which I assumed held marijuana, tobacco products, and an expensive looking table lighter. There was an enameled basin and a pitcher with towels laid out beside it. There was no bed in the room, and for some reason that made me feel better.

"So you used to work here?" I asked as we walked into the room. We looked around, and then Bella crossed to the couch and sat down. She patted the seat next to her, and I followed and sat down next to her.

"Yeah I worked here. I've been in this room before. I've experienced both sides now. Most of the clients don't feel comfortable feeding in public in the club. They still get territorial and it's easier to go to a room."

"What's it like?" I asked her as she took my hand in hers and gently traced circles on the palm of my hand with her thumb.

"What, working, or feeding, or the territorial thing?"

"All of it. This is all so new to me, and it fascinates me. It amazes me that this whole world and way of life exists and nobody in the mainstream human world knows anything about it."

"Yeah, because if they knew about it, they're either a part of it, or they're dead now. So working, hmm, it's hard to explain…"

"Don't tell me those memories are dim, too..."

"No, it's just hard to explain… Rose or Esme always picked the clients I worked for. They looked out for me, and made sure they only sent me with clients they knew wouldn't hurt me and they knew that they could trust. It was really kind of comfortable most of the time. We'd sit and talk, and they'd tell the most wonderful stories… sometimes we'd share a drink and then they'd just do it, and it seemed normal. Just part of the job… something natural that was part of my life and part of living here."

She raised my hand to her face and gently kissed the inside of my wrist as she gripped my hand tighter, and then lowered our hands back to her lap as a shudder flashed through me as I realized exactly what it would be like.

"What about your accident, how did that happen?"

"Esme and Rose were out of town on a hunting trip, and it was supposed to be my day off, but I filled in for one of the other girls that had a date. I'd been working for a while, and I thought I knew what I was doing, but I missed the signs that James had the wrong kind of attraction to me. I guess I was lucky that he didn't have enough control to wait to get to a room and practically attacked me right at the bar in the main lounge. If we'd been in a private room it would have been too late by the time Emmett knew there was something wrong."

"Emmett knew there was something wrong almost immediately, because I never let anyone get close enough to feed from my neck, and James had me practically pinned down on top of the bar with his teeth in my throat. Emmett was across the room in seconds and pulled him off me, but it was still too late. I suppose it was lucky that Rose was gone that night or she would have probably tried to kill him…"

"Wait, wait… You're telling me he did all these things to you, and he's still alive?"

"It was the best way, Edward. If we'd killed him, it would have made the feud even worse. The Fu's paid his debt to our clan, and it's over…"

"It's not over to me. He hurt you, and he stole all your hopes and dreams. He would have left you dead if he had his way, and then he abandoned you to your fate. I will not suffer this creature to live…"

"No, Edward. James is old and powerful. This is exactly what he's been waiting for. He wants somebody to try and avenge me, so he has an excuse to hurt us even more. It's like a sick game to him…"

"All the more reason to end his sick sadistic existence, he pollutes the very air we breath by allowing it to pass through his foul lungs."

"Edward, no…"

"Look, I understand that I can't go after him today, and probably not anytime in the immediate future, but he will pay for what he has done to you."

"I can't lose you, Edward. Promise me that you won't try to fight him… It's over, just let it go."

"I can't make that promise, Bella, because I can't lie to you. I'll promise that I won't go after him until I'm ready. I'll even promise that I'll let Alice help me and I'll wait until Jasper tells me I'm ready, but someday he will pay for all that he's done to you."

"Well, at least you've got some sense and you know what's right and wrong. Hopefully you've got the balls to follow through with it. That's a plus, even if I don't really like this whole situation." I looked up, and the tall statuesque blond that had been sitting next to Emmett at the football game in Sequim was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed on her chest.

"So you're the guy that's got my little sisters panties all in a twist? You're cute enough for a human, I guess. Are you going to introduce me, Bella, or are you just going to sit there and brood about this all night? He said he'd wait 'til he can take him, so at least he isn't stupid enough to think he's ready to take on a vampire today. That's a good sign."

"Hey Rose, yeah, sorry. I just get worried thinking about that. Rosalie Hale, I'd like you to meet Edward Cullen. Edward, this is my big sister, Rosalie."

I stood up and held out my hand, and Rose met me halfway and took my hand and shook it.

"Edward, hmm, please call me Rose. I suppose this is the way our world works, but it really sucks that you're so healthy. At least Emmett had the decency to already be dying when I brought him home to be changed. I don't like the fact that you have other options and could have lived a normal human life if we hadn't happened along."

"Well, perhaps you'll be heartened by the news that I'd already be dead twice over by now if Bella hadn't come into my life. Besides, I really don't have a choice anymore. Bella is my life and I'll do whatever is required of me to be with her."

"Yeah right, mating bond, I get it. That doesn't mean you have to die and lead this undead half-life. You could remain human and still be with Bella."

"For how long, Rose? Ten years or even twenty? Maybe I get lucky and last another seventy years, but I'd continue to age. Would you really be ok with Bella being with someone that looked like her grandfather or great grandfather? And then what, once I'm gone? You know she wouldn't be able to live without me. What if I got hit by a bus, or got sick and died? You know I can't do that to her. The best way is for us to be equals, and for me to become like her. You know it's really the only way."

"I suppose that's all true. You don't really have a choice when you put it like that. I guess I'd really like to keep my sister around for more than seventy years, and it would be kind of sick if you looked like her grandfather. It wouldn't stop her from wanting you, but it probably wouldn't be good for your heart. That still doesn't mean I like the fact that she has to do this to you, but I understand."

"Thanks Rose," Bella said. "If it's any consolation, we'll probably be waiting at least another year and a half before we make that change."

"Another year and a half? You really are a martyr, aren't you, Bella. Well we'll see how that works out. Any reason why you're waiting so long?"

"Well, Edward wants to wait until he's eighteen, and that would be next June, but we figured we'd wait until after graduation. It would be expected that he'd be leaving anyhow to go off to college and we'd both really like to finish high school first. Besides, it would raise the least suspicion that anything out of the ordinary was going on. Of course this is all just what Edward and I have discussed. We haven't talked to Alice and Jasper or Carlisle and Esme yet. They may have a different plan in mind."

"Jasper may want to wait for a while if he knows what's good for him, but Esme seems awful anxious to move forward right away. There was no way we were going to keep her in Seattle once she knew Carlisle was out there waiting for her to come get him. I don't see her wanting to put changing him off for that long. Of course if he had to leave it would look funny if you and Alice stayed behind without him. You might have trouble selling her on your plan, but like you say, we'll have to sit down and discuss the pros and cons."

"Well come on. I assume we're taking Edward on the tour? Let's get going. Is this as far as you've gotten so far?"

"Yes, we just came down from the apartments, and Edward was curious about what I used to do…"

"I never should have let you come to work for me, Bella. You didn't have to do that and we would have taken care of you regardless…"

"What's done is done, Rose. I wasn't going to just keep taking without giving something back. I needed that just as much as I needed a place to stay. You see that don't you?"

"Yes, I know that… I just wish this all would have worked out different for you. Edward is right though, that scum James deserves to be dead. Don't think I'm not going to help when the time comes to settle the score. I'll bide my time and wait, but I owe that bastard too."

Bella nodded and got up off the sofa. She took my hand and we followed Rose back out into the hall. We continued to the end of the hallway and came out into another foyer or anteroom. There was an ornate hand carved desk in the middle of the room that fit the turn of the century décor, but the flat screen computer monitor was a little incongruous with the setting although some effort had been made to decorate it to match the setting.

There was a young man sitting at the desk watching us as we entered to room. He looked like he was about nineteen or twenty-something. He watched us curiously as he sat there obviously guarding the door. He was wearing an expensive looking black suit with no tie and the top couple of buttons undone on his dress shirt. There was a gold chain around his neck with a pendant, and I recognized the design now. It was the Moreno crest like Bella and Rose both wore, but the background was quartered in silver and red. He had an earphone in his right ear with a small cord running behind his ear and into the collar of his jacket. I immediately knew exactly what he was as I took in the pale white skin, long black hair pulled back into a pony tail, and golden amber eyes.

"Edward, this is Robert, he works for Emmett. He's part of our security staff." Rose said as she indicated the vampire seated at the security desk. "Robert, this is Edward Cullen. He's Bella's mate. I believe we'll be seeing quite a bit of him around here from now on. He has full access to all of the private family areas. Treat him the same as you would Bella. I'll introduce him around, but pass the word."

"Yes, ma'am, Rosalie," The vampire at the desk responded, and nodded in my direction while studying my face.

We continued past the desk, and Rose pushed through an ornate set of double doors. We entered a large room that was surprisingly well lit, and I guessed that this was the main lounge area. It was done in the same ornate turn of the century carved wood and brass décor. The light fixtures were electric, but were styled to look like gas lights. The carpeting stopped at the doorway, and the floors were intricate hardwood parquet like a fancy ballroom in a grand hotel.

There was a section that looked like it was set aside as a dance floor, but there was nobody dancing now. There was sound equipment setup where a DJ would play music, but nobody was running it right now in the middle of the afternoon. A long bar took up one wall. There were barstools and a low brass rail along the front of the bar, and a scattering of cocktail tables in front of it. There was a flat screen TV with a ball game playing. There were a couple of privacy booths along one wall by the bar and tables. It looked like the main entrance to the room was opposite the door we'd come through, and there was a set of swinging saloon style doors across the entry.

There was a girl standing behind the bar, but I wasn't sure if she was the bartender or one of the drinks as she stood there polishing a glass with a towel. She was pretty with sandy brown shoulder length hair and blue eyes. Definitely human, she was wearing a necklace with the red and silver Moreno crest, and she looked excited when we walked in and I was holding hands with Bella.

There were probably a dozen people in the room both male and female. Some of them didn't look old enough to be hanging out in a bar, but then looks could be deceiving with this crowd. They were scattered around the lounge, a couple of solitary drinkers sitting at the bar, some in small groups or pairs. They all shared the same ethereal beauty and golden ochre eyes although that was their only similarity. Tendrils of smoke rose from wherever they sat. I could smell a mixture of both tobacco and other more pungent scents and I noticed the ashtrays on the tables. Apparently nobody enforced the no smoking ordinances here. I could tell they had taken note of our entrance, and they'd probably heard Rose introduce me to the vampire in the other room. We continued across the room, but then Rose stopped when we got to the seating area, and addressed the room.

"Ok, everyone listen up. This is Edward Cullen. He's Bella's mate and he's going to visiting around here from now on. He's part of the family now and has full access. Treat him the same as you would Bella. I'll let Bella make personal introductions as she see's fit." There were nods around the room, and then Rose continued her explanation as we continued across to the room and went out through the swinging doors.

"This is the private lounge were we do most of our entertaining. Normally humans aren't allowed in here unless they work for us or in very rare instances where they've been allowed to know our secrets and live. There are some offices and store rooms on this level, and of course the private lounges where I found you two. There are also a couple of private suites on this level for more intimate meetings and arrangements."

We were in the entry way now, and there was a coat room beyond a counter on one side of the small anteroom. There was another set of wood and glass doors with lettering in gold leaf that looked like it led out to another hallway. Rose pushed the doors open and we stepped out into the hall. I glanced back at the glass doors, and the ornate gold lettering said "La Sala de Tigre" _(The Tiger Room)_.

"There are offices and meeting rooms on the level above. There are more apartments and dormitories for our employees and associates on the floors above the office level. The public club and restaurant are on the two floors below."

I looked up and down the hall, and it looked like there was an elevator at either end. We stopped at the nearer end of the hallway, and Rose pressed the call button for an elevator. The door opened and we stepped inside. There were only three buttons. Rose noticed my look and explained.

"This elevator is normally used by our guests to come up to the club. The elevator at the other end of the hall has access to the upper floors. During business hours there will normally be a guard stationed there."

We stepped into the elevator car when the door opened, and there were doors on both sides of the elevator car. Rose pressed the second button, and we went down one floor. The doors opened on another anteroom, but this one looked more modern in design. We stepped out of the elevator, crossed the room and Rose pushed the doors open, and we stepped out into the nightclub, but it was closed right now in the middle of the afternoon.

The doors to the anteroom and elevator were set back into a short alcove and were roped off from the club proper. There was a huge guy standing next to the doors inside the rope. He had his arms crossed on his chest as he stood his watch over the doorway while a crew of people moved around the club cleaning and doing prep work for the evening crowd.

My first impression was that he could have been Sam Uley's younger brother, but Sam wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this. The guy was huge! He towered over Bella, and was a head taller than me. He appeared to have long, rounded muscles, but he was wearing a black suit with no tie and the top couple of buttons undone on his dress shirt. He had copper skin, close cropped black hair, and I bet he had brown eyes, but he was wearing dark glasses. He had an earphone in his right ear with a small cord running behind his ear and into the collar of his jacket. He looked like he was about twenty-nine or thirty and had a stern expression on his face as he guarded the door.

"Hey, Bill," Bella said as she noticed the guy guarding the door. "You draw the short straw, or did you lose a bet or something?"

"Hey, Bells'," The guy said as his face cracked into huge grin, "Long time, no see. Yeah, you'd think I'd know better than to draw to an inside straight by now, but works work. Better than diggin' ditches. So, you in town for the weekend?" The big guy asked as he looked us over and smiled.

"Yeah, I brought Edward to see the club…"

"Rose mentioned you might be stopping by. So this is the guy that stole your heart, huh?" He reached down and opened the rope for us so we could walk out into the club."

"Yeah, Edward, this is William Arakawa. Bill, I'd like to introduce my mate, Edward Cullen. Bill works for Emmett, and he's part of the security staff."

The big guy stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "Call me Bill. Anyone that's a friend of Bella's is alright in my book. Pleased to meet you, Edward. We got your back man. You just take good care of our Bella." I shook hands with him, and he had a firm grip, but not so strong as to try and show off and crush my hand. His friendly warm attitude was infectious and seemed to brighten the room.

"Thanks', Bill I'll take good care of Bella. She's very special to me too."

Bella waved at bill and smiled as Rose led us out into the Club to look around. I supposed I'd have to see it tonight when it was open to get the full effect. It was about what I expected. Sound equipment and DJ station, dance floor, a couple of bars and colored lights for a light show. Cocktail tables and booths were scattered around the open upper level. There were more tables downstairs around the dance floor, and some privacy booths along the walls. Rose showed us the other elevator in the backroom behind the bar, and then a delivery truck showed up and she had to go play manager again.

"Are you hungry, Edward? We can go grab some lunch in the restaurant if you'd like." Bella said when Rose left to go find somebody to unload the truck.

"Ok, that sounds good, but we could just order something if you don't want to have to go in." I hadn't had anything since the bacon and eggs this morning, and I realized I was kind of hungry once she mentioned it.

"I'll be ok. They're still serving lunch, and haven't really started in on the prep for dinner yet. Just don't order seafood, and I'll be fine."

"Right, no fish and chips, anything else I should avoid?"

"Nothing else comes to mind, but if I find anything too offensive, I'll let you know."

"Sounds good. Lead on, love."

Bella led me to a doorway connecting the restaurant to the nightclub. It was open now for the crew to use, but it would be locked later tonight when the club was crowded and patrons were expected to pay a cover charge. The restaurant staff seemed to know who we were and we were immediately seated in a private booth in a roped off section of the restaurant.

The menu was extensive and most of the choices were expensive, but I didn't think we'd have to worry about paying for this. I just ordered a hamburger, fries and a Pepsi. I knew Bella could deal with that and she didn't make too big a face when my order was delivered. The order appeared in record time, but was hot and juicy and appeared freshly cooked.

"So, can we talk here?"

"Yeah, that's why they opened this section for us, to give us some privacy."

"Ok. So Bill is like Sam, right?"

"You can say it here, Edward. Bill is a werewolf, and Robert was a vampire. Everyone in the private club was a vampire, except for Haley, the girl at the bar."

"Yeah, I figured that out. I just didn't know if it was really ok to talk about that here. So what did Rose mean when she said that there are more apartments and dormitories for employees and associates upstairs?"

"Most of the humans that work for us live here in the tower. They aren't required to, but it's convenient and easier for most of them. They make good money, but why pay rent, if it's included in the package? Besides it's more secure here with what's been going on over the past couple of years. Some of them have apartments and houses in other parts of the city and just come here to work. Almost all of the security crew lives here. Some of the vampires have apartments elsewhere too, but all of them have quarters here as well, in case we have to lockdown. It hasn't gotten that bad yet."

"I suppose I probably should have asked this before, but how many vampires are there in the world, Bella? Before I met you and Jasper I was just as oblivious as the next human, and I was happy believing that vampires were myths. After seeing your setup here, I have to wonder how can you possibly keep all of this secret?"

Bella shrugged. "Most humans don't want to believe in vampires. At least the humans living in developed countries with access to technology assume that we have to be myths. Otherwise modern science would have exposed us for what we are by now. There are six billion humans living on this planet Edward. Only about three hundred million live in the United States. That's about 5 percent of the total population, yet you have a vast influence the rest of the planet in regards to culture, values, ideas, etc."

"The total vampire population is about one tenth of one percent to the total human population. That works out to about six million spread out across the world. It sounds like a lot, but that would still only be about one in fifty compared to the population of the United States alone. It's more like one in a thousand, worldwide. The population just seems denser here in the Pacific Northwest because vampires are attracted to the climate here."

"Sunlight thing again, right?"

"Yep, you got it."

"So do we get to go up and meet some of these humans and take a look at the upper levels?"

"Sure, if you'd like to."

"So there's really nothing to hide? No secret dungeons? No whips and chains?"

"Well, no secret dungeons, but I'm sure I can find you some whips and chains if you'd like. I didn't think you were into that kind of thing, Edward." Bella said with a grin.

"Hmm, well maybe not whips… Chains might be interesting. Why don't we just skip the rest of the tour and go back up to your apartment?"

"Are you getting impatient Edward? At least finish your lunch, you need to keep your strength up."

"Not impatient, love… I just need you. I need to hold you and be closer to you…"

"Are you done…?"

"Am I upsetting you love? I'm sorry…"

"Are you done with your lunch?"

"Oh… Yes, I suppose…"

"C'mon, let's go."

"Where…?"

"Upstairs, back to my apartment…"

Bella was up from the booth in a flash, and took my hand. We hurried back through the club and into the elevator. She seemed impatient as we went back up to club level, and then hurried back through the club to the main elevator up the tower.

She was in my arms with her back pressed against the wall of the elevator car as it climbed through the tower. My lips molded to hers as her fingers tangled in my hair pulling me deeper into our kiss. Her lips parted and the tip of her tongue darted into my mouth, slick and sweet and velvety as it caressed mine.

Her knee lifted as she wrapped her leg and hip around me and I ground harder against her core grinding the bulge in my jeans into her. I reached down and caught her leg behind the knee lifting it higher as I spreading her legs to give me better access.

My fingers found the hem of her shirt and I ran the palm of my hand across the cool skin at edge of her stomach, sliding higher. My fingertips traced the bottom edge of her bra, and then I was cupping her breast in my hand. She moaned as I squeezed and I could feel her nipple harden through the satiny fabric and lace.

My finger traced down to the catch between her breasts, and flipped the simple closure open. I pushed the satiny fabric out of the way, and she gasped against my lips as her hard nipple pressed into the hot palm of my hand.

Bella reached over to the control panel, and her thumb pressed the stop button. Then her hands were on the front of my pants opening the snap and pulling down the zipper. I let go of her knee, and my fingers were unbuttoning the front of her jeans. I pulled down her zipper as she toed off one sneaker.

Her hands were on my hips, and she was pushing my jeans and my boxers down to my knees. I had her pants open, and they were sliding over her hips, past her knees, and she kicked on foot free. Her panties hit the floor with her jeans and she was exposed in front of me as I inhaled the scent of her musky wet arousal.

I reached for her and pushed her back against the wall of the elevator car as my hands slid under the cheeks of her perfect ass, and I lifted her to meet me. Her knees spread to slide around my hips, and she reached around and down to line up my rigid cock with her slippery wet pussy.

Bella gasped as I pushed into her and slammed her into the wall. I grunted as I sank balls deep in her silky smooth velvet and steel embrace. Her legs wrapped around me and her hands clutched at my shirt as her hands fisted into the fabric behind my shoulders.

I was pushing into her, driving hard as she rocked her hips forward to meet my thrust. I slid almost all the way out and then slammed back in hard and fast and deep, over and over…

"Oh my god… Unhh… Unhhh… God Edward… Fuck me! unhh… unhhh… Fuck Me Harder…"

"God Bella… Unhh… Unhhh… So tight…"

I gripped her perfect ass and moved her on me as I slammed into her fucking her hard and fast. We weren't making love… This was hard and fast and animalistic fucking as we let our desires and urges carry us away. We were lost in our instinct to mate and the need to be together as I fucked her against the wall of the elevator.

"Oh god… I'm almost there… Just a little more… God… Yessss! God… Edward!"

She screamed my name and didn't try to hold back or be quiet as I felt her clench around my solid cock. A feral growl ripped out of her chest, her muscles contracted, and her body went rigid for a second as she came hard. I could feel her cold breath panting against my neck as she fought to regain control.

"Unhh… Unhhh… God… Bella! I'm gonna… Unhh… Unhhh… I'm almost there…"

My hot breath panted against her neck as I drove deep into her velvet and steel core, plunging to the hilt harder faster!

I was on the edge, pushing into her as I felt the tingling at the base of my cock in my balls and I knew I was going to come. I thrust hard and buried myself to the hilt inside her cool throbbing pussy as she clenched around me and I shot my come deep inside. The orgasm ripped through me and I felt my dick pulse as my hot juice flooded into her.

I pulled out of her as her legs unwrapped from around me. My arms wrapped around her as I lowered her feet to the floor and I wrapped her in my arms. I leaned down, and my open lips found hers. Her tongue was pushing into my mouth, and we were lost in each others scent and taste and the feel of her hard cool lips on mine.

There was a droning buzz, and I realized it was the alarm from the elevator control panel. Bella reached over and pulled out the stop button. The alarm went off, and the car started moving again.

"Sorry," Bella said a little sheepishly. "I guess we didn't quite make it upstairs…" She was pulling up her pants.

I pulled up my pants, and snapped them shut, then reached for her shoe. "Don't be. That was intense and fantastic. Consider it a warm up session..."

She didn't finish fixing her clothes, and her arms were around my neck as she kissed me hard. I was reaching for the stop button again, when the doors opened.

"Who the hells been holding up the damn elevator?" Emmett stormed, and let out a huge guffaw of laughter

"Normally it's you." Bella quipped. "My turn, big brother..."

Then we were hurtling across the room in a blur. I didn't remember going up the stairs, but were in front of Bella's door, and she was pushing it open with one hand as she pulled me in behind her. I could still hear Emmett's laughter as the door shut behind us…

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i

"Edward… Are you awake…?" I heard the soft words murmured against my ear.

I stretched languorously as awareness returned. My muscles were a little stiff, and I felt a pleasant soreness in my body as though I'd been through a strenuous workout lifting weight or performing heavy exercise. I suppose I had…

I felt Bella's arms around me holding me cuddled against her as she murmured in my ear and planted tiny kisses on my cheek and ear.

"I know you're awake, do you want to go down to dinner now? We need to get up and get dressed if we're going to meet your father and Esme, and Alice and Jasper."

I pulled her closer as my arms embraced her. She stopped talking when I found a better use for her mouth. I turned and captured her lips and her open mouth greeted mine. She indulged me for a minute, and then pulled back and broke the kiss.

"I knew you were awake… so do you want dinner?"

I was torn. I was hungry, but food sounded good too. I could wait to satisfy my other appetites. Besides, I needed to keep my strength up if I was going to keep up with Bella. She was insatiable, and never tired out…

"Yes, I suppose we should get up and go to dinner. We have a lot of things to discuss."

"I know we talked about waiting until you graduate and you turn eighteen before we change you, but what if Carlisle and Esme don't want to wait that long?"

"I don't know… If Carlisle decided to leave with Esme, it would look suspicious If Alice and I stayed behind by ourselves. We might be able to get away with saying he was traveling for a couple of months, but it would probably be better if we all left at the same time. At least if we intend to be able to continue living in this part of the country. Why did you just ask about Carlisle? Don't you think Alice might be impatient for the change to be with Jasper?"

"Alice has other options to consider, but let's not go into that. C'mon, we're going to be late. You better go get in the shower first, or we'll never get out of here."

"What, you don't trust me?" I wanted to ask what she meant about Alice, but I knew the subject would come up again.

"Oh I trust you. I don't trust myself, and we told Esme we'd meet them for dinner. Now go on, go shower and get dressed."

I kissed her quickly once more before she could push me away, and then got out of her bed. I had to admit, the electric blanket did make lying in bed with Bella rather pleasant, and it did help her to warm up nicely. I walked into the adjoining bathroom and ran a hot shower.

The hot water helped sooth the soreness in my muscles and felt good. I didn't linger in the shower, but finished quickly and got out to finish getting ready. Bella had moved my shaving kit into the bathroom at some point while I slept, and I brushed my teeth and had a quick shave. I rinsed my face with cool water, and got dried off. I returned to the bedroom to dress, and then Bella slid past me into the bedroom to shower before I could distract her.

There was a blue cocktail dress and heels laid out on the bed that I presumed Bella had picked out for herself while I showered, so I assumed we were going dancing after dinner, or at least visiting the club. I took a look for my bag, but Bella had already unpacked it, and my things were hanging in her closet. I selected a pair of dressed of dark dress slacks, and a dark dress shirt. Bella hed put my underwear in a dresser drawer. I dressed quickly, and looked around the room. The shower stopped and I heard the door open.

She was getting dried off, and I decided to head out into the living room before I did something to make us miss dinner. I went to the stereo and turned on some music, and then went out to the bar and poured Bella a drink. I'd wait until I had some food in my system before I had any myself. I mild buzz would be nice, but I didn't need to drink to get drunk. I partied to have fun, not blot out life and let it pass me by while I sat dazed in a drunken stupor.

Bella walked out of the bedroom much more quickly than I had imagined possible. She was stunning in her royal blue dress and heels, and I handed her the drink.

"Thank you. I knew there was a reason I kept you around. I got something for you too." She took the glass, and handed me a small bundle.

I unwrapped the straps from around the small leather and webbing bundle, and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Really? Do I need this?"

"It goes with the territory, and you need to start sending the right message. Don't worry, you won't need it, but you'll be expected to have it."

I looked her in the eye to see if she was really serious, and she didn't flinch. I shrugged into the shoulder holster harness, and she helped me adjust it. She turned and walked into the bedroom for a minute, and then handed me the Glock from my bag when she came back. I slid the pistol home into the holster under my left armpit, she handed me my dinner jacket, and we were ready to go.

I knew we had talked about her family and what they did and what they expected of us, but walking out of her apartment with that pistol under my jacket brought that fact home and made it real. It wasn't just talk anymore. It was real life, and we were living the life, not talking about what we'd do. We were doing it.

Bella took my arm and we went down to dinner. We took the elevator down to the private club level, and then cut through to the elevator down to the public night club downstairs. The Lounge was open now, but it was early and not very busy at all. There was a security guard at the door into the restaurant, and he held the velvet rope aside for us as we went through to see if the others had arrived for dinner yet.

The hostess greeted us and immediately led us back into the private VIP section. Carlisle and Esme were already seated, but Alice and Jasper weren't there yet. Carlisle rose as we approached. I held Bella's seat for her, and then Carlisle and I sat. She handed us menus, and took our drink order, and then promptly left.

"Jasper called down earlier, and made his apologies about dinner." Esme said. "They won't be joining us, but if they manage to come up for air, we may see them upstairs at the club tonight."

"Alice has been suffering for a long time waiting for Jasper to be free to be with her," Bella said.

"I suppose I can't hold it against her. It's my fault she's had to wait so long. If I hadn't been so stubborn, she wouldn't have gotten so cranky there at the end. I guess they're making up for lost time."

The waitress arrived then with our drinks, and asked if we were ready to order. The Flying Dutchman was famous for its seafood, which was ironic, considering how objectionable Bella and her family found it. We were considerate, and Carlisle and I both ordered steaks. I was surprised when Bella and Esme both ordered chef's salads, but I suppose they had to maintain appearances.

"This is still a lot to take in," Carlisle said. "I understand intellectually that this is alright, and natural considering what's happening to all of us, but you've got to admit this doesn't happen every day. I still feel like its wrong, and I should be storming in there protecting her. She's only seventeen, and she's my daughter…"

"I understand, dear, but it hasn't always been like that, you know. When I was a girl, women were married with children at seventeen. If they weren't married off by twenty, then there had to be something wrong with them, and they were likely to end up as spinsters. I was courting my first husband at sixteen. Rosalie was engaged to be married at eighteen, and her best girlfriend was already married with a small son. You know he isn't taking advantage of her, and they're going to be together forever."

"I know, I understand, but it just doesn't feel right to me. I won't stand in their way. It's just the way I was brought up."

The waitress was very efficient, or the kitchen dropped everything to rush out our order. She was back with our dinner, served the meal, asked if needed anything, and then promptly disappeared to give us our privacy to talk.

"If it's any consolation, Mr. Cullen, I feel the same way sometimes," Bella said after the waitress was gone. "I suppose we both have modern attitudes when it comes to a lot of this. I just can't help myself sometimes because I'm overcome by my instincts, and I'm not strong enough to fight them, but I really do love Edward."

"Please, dear, call me Carlisle. We're family now, and we should be comfortable together."

"Thank you, Carlisle. So, I guess the big question on everyone's mind is how we want to do the changes. Have you and Esme talked?"

"Carlisle and I are eager to move on. Neither of us wants to drag this out any longer than we have too, but we know this has to be a family decision. We need to include Alice and Jasper, but what have you and Edward discussed?"

"Well, actually Bella and I were hoping to wait until after graduation. I know I want to wait at least until I turn eighteen."

"Graduation! That's almost two years! Bella honey, do you really think you can hold out for that long?"

Bella winced, and I'm sure she would have blushed if she could have. She just nodded and didn't comment.

"If you and Carlisle leave now, Alice and I would have to leave as well. We can't stay behind in Forks on our own until I'm at least eighteen. If you were willing to compromise, that's only eight more months. Then we could always say you were traveling abroad on an extended honeymoon or vacation. I would be a legal adult then, and we could choose our own time to take the next step."

"Oh, I like the honeymoon Idea, but eight months? What do you think, Carlisle?"

"That would give me some time to get my affairs in order and time to help my patients find other therapy options. I'm sure it'll be a while before I can continue my practice, and I'd have to open a new clinic regardless. Maybe once things settle down I'll return to school. I'll have plenty of time, and there are several fields of study that I'd truly love to pursue. What about you, Esme, can you wait eight more months?"

"I've been waiting for you for over eighty years. I can hold out for eight more months for us to be equals. It isn't like we don't get to be together or share our love."

"So, Esme," I asked, "Bella and I have discussed what Jasper expects of me, and my roll in all of this. How does Carlisle fit into the big picture? Do you two have any plans yet?"

It didn't sound like dad really knew what was going on, and wasn't fully in the loop yet. I wondered just how much Esme had told him. She said he knew everything, but he didn't know about the werewolves this morning. I assumed he knew everything about the mating bond, and most of the vampire stuff, but if he was talking about opening a new clinic and going back to college, I doubted he knew about the family business yet.

"Carlisle and I haven't discussed too much about that yet, Edward." Esme said. "I figured we'd wait until he was changed to make any big decisions, but apparently we have more to talk about. I'm sure I could find something for your father to do, helping me with the club if he was interested, but his suggestions sound like a better option. I suppose we can wait until after your birthday to go to Alaska if it makes things easier for everyone."

So Esme didn't expect Carlisle to get involved in the family business, but there was no way he was going to stay in the dark. He wasn't a stupid man. I wondered what he'd say about it when he found out. He was generally open minded, and it was obvious that Esme's world wasn't part of mainstream society. Carlisle wasn't above breaking some rules when he felt he had a good reason too. This might be pushing his limits, and I didn't know how he'd react.

"Ok, then that's settled. Esme and I will stay with you in Forks at least until your eighteenth birthday. You can decide how long you want to stay in Forks or when you decide to be changed. That should work for Alice too. She and Jasper can still make their own decision on how fast to proceed. If they want to wait, then she can stay with you in Forks."

"Where will you and Esme go?" I asked.

"We'll go to Alaska. I'm sure Bella has told you about our extended family up there. I can't wait for Tanya and Irina to meet Carlisle. They're going to be so jealous. They've both pretty much given up on ever finding a mate. Bella spent a couple of years up there with them. They really wanted her to stay with them. They get so lonely, even with Carmen and Eleazar with them."

We chatted some more as we ate our dinner. At least Carlisle and I ate. Bella and Esme moved their salads around their plates to make it look like it had been nibbled at. I had some of Bella's salad to help make it look like some of it had been eaten, and I noticed Carlisle have some of Esme's. Dinner was actually pleasant and kind of enjoyable, but I supposed it had to do with the company. We didn't drag it out too much. Bella and Esme were gracious and accommodated our human needs because of the bonds that we shared, but I knew they were uncomfortable in the restaurant with all of the human food smells. We left as soon as we had finished eating.

There was no check to pay, but Esme did leave a large tip for the waitress, and then we got up and walked back to the doors that lead into the club. The security guard opened the rope for us, and let us through, and then closed and locked the doors into the restaurant. Apparently they had only been keeping them open until we returned from dinner.

There was more of a crowd in the club now as some of the early birds started to show up. Bella led me straight over to the elevator to go up to the private club, but Esme hung back when we got to the elevator. Bella looked at her questioningly.

"Bella, you and Edward go ahead and go upstairs if you like… Carlisle and I are going to hang out down here for awhile. Ok?"

"Sure, Esme, no problem. We'll see you upstairs later?"

"Thanks', dear, Carlisle and I need to talk. We'll be up in a while."

I supposed it would be difficult to keep him from finding out once he picked up on the gist of the conversation. Most of the vampires upstairs were part somebody's crew or were wise guys, and he'd figure it out. There would probably be some independents, civilized nomads, but for the most part the clientele here was connected. Heck, if I took off my jacket to dance, and he saw me packing, he have to ask the question. I guess Esme was going to try and explain some things before she brought him upstairs.

There was another security guard at the elevator, but he held back the rope and let us through. We took the elevator up to the club level, and walked in. Rose was playing Hostess, and she looked absolutely stunning in red. I spotted Emmett working the crowd, and chatting with some of his security staff, and then he came over to greet us, and Rose found us a table between the bar and the dance floor.

A human cocktail waitress with the Moreno crest on her necklace came by and took our drink order. She seemed to know everyone, but nobody introduced me. I wondered if she was on the menu too, and how exactly that worked. I scanned the room as Bella chatted with Rose and Emmett.

Apparently there were a sizeable number of humans in the crowd mingling, laughing and dancing with the more exclusive clientele. The ones I could see all wore the Moreno crest. It didn't have a brothel kind of atmosphere, more like a swanky upscale private club. At least as many of the clients were female as male, and that changed the dynamic. It wasn't a men's club, just a club.

Bella finished her drink, and then said "let's go dance, Edward". The smile wide on her face as she let herself go and enjoyed the night. I'd finally given up on Katy, and I was hers now. She was enjoying it, and wanted to show me off. I couldn't deny her, and stood up and took off my jacket and left it at the table.

We made our way onto the dance floor, and let the music move us. We moved through the press of bodies surging against us as I led Bella to the dance floor at the end of the room. I let myself go as the pounding beat of the loud music reached deep into the core of my being and set me in motion to move in time with the electric rhythm. I rocked my hips, and Bella grinned, ignoring of the crowd of vampires and humans writhing around our bodies as we surrendered to the dance.

The DJ was good and kept the music coming as one song flowed into the next and Bella's face swam before me as we moved like one creature to the influence of the music. Sweat dripped from my body and Bella's sharp ultra white teeth glinted in a wild smile as the beat pounded through us and moved us. My fears about the mystery of Bella Swan had been swept away, the mystery solved, and my relationship with Katy was forgotten. I lived for the moment in the sheer exhilaration which swept through my body as we twisted and turned together.

Bella's arms coiled lithely as the music led them and she quivered and shuddered with the pounding beat from the speakers. She twisted laughing, all pretense of the clumsy graceless façade she portrayed at school abandoned as the music moved her. Her dress swirled around her knees and she swung her hair as she moved like a free spirit in the press of bodies. I stared in awe and desire for her perfect form, the curve of her neck, the swell of her breasts, her flat stomach, the curve of her hips, Her legs, her eyes, I wanted it all, and it was mine.

The silk chiffon halter dress clung to her breasts, stretched taut over the erect nipples, and I ached to reach out and caress her pert breast, so scandalously exposed, yet concealed by the light filmy fabric of the dress that she wore. Reaching out my hand, I took her fingers in my own and pulled her to me. So close was she to me that I felt her breath upon my mouth, saw her pupils dilate.

Suddenly she was pressed against me, her body cool and perfect despite the dancing. She looked into my eyes and I felt my mouth fall open at the intensity of her gaze. My fingers, succeeding in the task they had been longing to accomplish, pulled her close to me, forcing her against my hardness, letting her feel how aroused I had become by her movements. She gasped in a little breath, the sound arousing me as I ground my body against her and she writhed against me.

I leaned into her and pressed my lips to her ear, "I need you. I need you now. Let's go someplace private."

She moaned and caressed my cheek, and then she took my hand and we were moving through the press of bodies. The crowd had grown and the lights were turned down low. Bright lights were flashing to the rhythm of the music, and I was turned around and lost.

We emerged into the ante room on the hallway that led to the elevator up to the apartments, and I thought that was where we were heading. Bella stopped in front of the security desk.

"We need a room," she said.

He smirked, and pointed down the hall. "Number six is available… how long…"

"Just the standard," He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

She took my hand and then we were moving down the hall. We stopped in front of a door, and then we were moving into the room. The door closed behind us and she was in my arms as her open lips found mine. Her lips parted slightly wider and I felt the tip of her tongue trace across my open lips. My lips parted and I felt the tip of Bella's tongue slip against the tip of my tongue. Our tongues played with hers circling mine and the feeling was just as incredible and electric.

I was feeling the buzz of the alcohol and felt energized as Bella's body pressed against me and her cool moist lips moved on mine. The movement was light and gentle at first as our tongues met and moved against each other, teasing and exploring. I was excited and I wanted more as our kiss deepened and became more ardent.

Her kisses were harder and more passionate as her cool lips moved on mine and our tongues tangled and slipped against each other. It was slick and sweet and velvety. I lost myself in the moment giving my complete attention to the kiss.

She broke the kiss, letting me pant to catch my breath and her cold cheek nuzzled against the heat of mine. She was pushing me back and I felt the sofa behind me. I sat down, and pulled Bella with me onto my lap. Her legs were straddling my hips and I could feel her grinding against the hard bulge in my pants as her hands caressed my face.

My hands moved up to caress the silky smooth skin of her bare shoulders and arms. She kissed the hollow beneath my ear, and I felt her cool breath against the side of my neck as she rocked against me and moved on my lap.

She trailed kisses along my jaw line and moved back to my lips. I greeted her willingly as she tenderly sucked my bottom lip between hers for a second. Then her arms were snaking around my neck and her hands cradled my head as her fingers tangled into my hair pulling me closer. Time seemed to stand still as we kissed and touched. Caressing her face, my neck, her hair, as our hands explored and her lips moved on mine. We moved together in rhythm as the passion hummed through our bodies and I lost myself in the sensations coursing through me.

Bella's hands slid lower on my body between us, and I felt her fingers opening the front of my pants. She opened my belt and unbuttoned me. Then her fingers were opening my fly. She stepped back and her hands were on my hips pulling down my pants. I raised up to let her ease them past my hips, and then they were pooling around my ankles.

She stood in front of me, looking down at my erect cock standing proud for her. My breath caught when she reached under her dress, her panties were sliding down her legs, past her knees, and then she stepped out of them and dropped them on the floor.

She was back on the sofa climbing back onto my lap, and I moaned as she ground against me. She rubbed up against me, but now there was nothing between us as my hard cock slipped between her folds and she ground herself against my hard shaft.

"God, Bella, You're so wet, and you feel so good…" My thumb was stroking circles around her nipple through the fabric of her halter as she kissed down my throat and nipped at my neck. She sucked on my throat and licked up to the hollow beneath my ear as she ground my hard cock into her core…

"God, Edward, I love you so much…" she whispered into my ear. "I need you inside me… you're so hot…" Her lips were kissing along my jaw line toward my lips as her cool wet sex ground into me and stroked up and down against the shaft of my hard cock…

"I love you, Bella, I need you …" I moaned. "I need you now… I need to be inside you…"

Our tongues danced and moved against each other, teasing and exploring as Bella's open lips moved back onto mine. Her kisses were tender and amorous as her cold lips moved on mine and our tongues entwined and slipped against each other. My full attention was drawn to her kisses as her lips moved on mine…

My hard cock stroked up between the cool wet bare lips of her sex and teased through the fringe of curly hairs as she stroked back and forth and grinding and probing. She was tracing my cock up and down along the center of my core. She lifted up as she spread her legs a bit more, and reached down between us…

Bella's hand grasped my hard cock and pressed into me against her… I moaned as the head of my cock sank between her folds and caressed inside of her cool sex. Her hand stroked me back and forth inside her lips, slipping through her folds wet and slippery with her arousal.

She pressed me further back between her legs, and then my cock was spreading her lips apart. The tip found her opening, and pressed deeper inside. She moaned against my lips as she pressed my cock into her cool slippery pussy…

"God, Bella, you're so tight…" I moaned against her neck. Her hand moved forward from her opening, and her fingers stroked across her clit as it poked out of its hood and she shuddered as she reveled in the sensation of pure pleasure and carnal lust.

"Oh god… Bella, that's so good…" I panted against her neck.

"You like that…" She sank deeper onto me and her fingers traced circles around her throbbing clit…

"Yesss…" I moaned…

Bella's eyes were closed tight as her head was thrown back and she groaned. The sensations throbing through my cock felt so good… Bella was moving… My cock sank deeper… Her fingers were stroking her clit…

My hands left her shoulders and neck and stroked down her body to grasp her hips. I gripped her tight as her hips slid lower… The sensation of her silky velvet and steel embrace was exquisite as she moved on me, pressing me back into the sofa…

My cock was pressed deep inside of her now, and she started to move it in and out… Pushing me deep inside, and then pulling up, sliding me out… Fucking me as she straddled my hips and her fingers stroked her clit… My hands on her hips guided her… I moved her on me as I stroked in and out of her cool core…

I stroked something deep inside of her… "Oh my god…" she moaned. She shuddered as the incredible sensation rocked through her sex…

I felt my climax building as Bella moved on top of me… She moaned as I stroked into her…

I was so close to the edge, and I craved this so much. I wanted to cum and shoot my load into her. I needed to finish now, but we both needed to get there, and both get off. We needed to get there together…

"God, Bella, this is so hot…" I moaned. My hands on her hips were moving her now and I stroked her faster and deeper onto my hard cock.

Her hips were crashing into me faster now, fucking me with her tight pussy… I was so close… Her fingers on her clit were rubbing frantically now as she panted and moaned, and I was bucking my hips in time to her plunges now.

"Oh My God! Shit…Edward! Oh god…Edward…" She moaned as I thrust into her tight pussy.

I was pumping my hot dick into her, and Bella's hips were bucking against me as I stroked into her.

"Oh god… That's so good… Bella, wait… God, I'm almost… Almost there…" I panted out as she stroked me faster and harder.

"Yessss, Edward…" Bella groaned as I guided her hips onto me and she rubbed herself.

"God… Edward… I'm gonna… God I'm almost there!" she moaned getting louder as she got closer to the edge.

Bella moaned as I pumped my dick hard and fast into her. I was so close to the edge… I wanted us to get there together…

"Oh God…, that's fucking amazing… Oh god, don't stop…" I panted as her cool slippery pussy pumped up and down on my cock.

"God, Edward… that's soooo good…" she panted as she fucked my cock in and out of my sopping wet pussy and stroked circles across her clit.

"I'm almost there… Bella… I'm gonna cum…!" I panted.

I was on the edge, and began thrusting even more urgently as I felt the tingling at the base of my cock in my balls and I knew I was going to come. I thrust hard a couple more times and then gripped her hips tight against me as I buried myself to the hilt inside her cool throbbing pussy. I shot my come deep inside Bella as the orgasm ripped through me and I felt my dick pulse as my hot juice flooded into her.

I had the presence of mind to continue stroking her onto me as soon as I could after shot his load. She was so close, from the look on her face as she reveled in ecstasy. She let go when I came, and her own orgasm crashed through her.

She bit her lower lip so she wouldn't scream, but I knew she I wanted to yell and she moaned loud as she clenched tight around my hard cock buried deep inside of her. She pressed her fingers against her clit as it throbbed and pulsed under her touch. I felt a flood of wetness, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she came undone and plunged over the edge into the throes of her orgasm.

She was panting hard and forced herself to take deep breaths to try and calm down as the heavenly bliss spread through her.

Bella pulled back and I slid all the out of her, as she let go of my softened cock. Bella got up, and told me he'd get something to help us clean up. She stepped over to the buffet; her skirts were still gathered around her waist as she reached for pitcher and I heard her pour water into the basin. She picked up a towel and dipped it in the water and cleaned herself, and then she came back to me. She let the skirt of her dress drop and swirl around her knees, and then she was kneeling on the floor in front of me as she gently cleaned me with the moistened towel.

Once the sticky wet was dealt with, Bella sat down next to me and I took her in my arms. I leaned in and kissed her, and we spent some time gently nipping and caressing and tenderly exploring each other. We'd been gone a long time, but I could still hear the music in the lounge, and the festivity was still going strong.

After a while, I said, "maybe we should go back to the club, Bella. People will notice that we're gone…"

"It doesn't matter. They know what we're going through, but we can go back. Here, let me help you…" and Bella reach down and helped me pull up my pants.

I arranged my clothing, and Bella found her panties and put them back on.

"You know, I thought we were going back upstairs to your apartment when we left the club…"

"I knew we wouldn't make it that far. This was private enough, and conveniently closer."

"You know this just makes me wonder what went on in these rooms when you used to work here…"

"Never anything like this! You were incredible, and you bring out the daring side in me…"

"How are we going to survive school on Monday, Bella? I can't keep my hands off of you…"

"I know," and she reached for me and kissed me again. "We'll just have to be good… Thank god for open campus lunches…"

I shivered as I considered the possibilities, and took her hand as we walked through the door to head back out into the club.

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i

I could hear the annoying muted sound of a cell phone ring tone tugging at my awareness. Bella was gone. I was alone in the bed, and the phone was still demanding attention. I realized it was my phone. Who would be calling me now? Why would somebody be calling me so late at night? I reached down over the side of the bed, retrieved my pants, and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I glanced at the caller ID on the screen, noting the time, and frowned. Ok, so maybe it wasn't late anymore, but very early, way too early to be a casual call on a Sunday morning.

The phone number was from the landline phone at Katy's parent's house. Katy never called me from that phone. She was always too concerned that her mother would try and listen to our conversation. I guessed that wasn't a concern anymore, and she probably wouldn't say anything too bad if her parents could hear what she was saying. I flipped the phone open and accepted the call.

"Hello?" I answered the call.

"_Edward! Thank goodness I finally got a hold of you! I had John drive by your house, but nobody was home! I was going through Katy's room, and found her address book, so I tried this number!_" It was Carolyn Decker, Katy's mother, and she sounded frantic.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Decker. We're away for the weekend. Is there something I can help you with?"

"_I know you and Katy have been fighting, Edward, and I don't want to pry, but is Katy with you? She left with Michaela this afternoon, well Saturday afternoon, and nobody's seen her since! She won't answer her phone and I don't know where she is!_"

"No, Mrs. Decker. Katy isn't with me. I haven't seen her since the bonfire in La Push after Home Coming. I don't know if Katy told you yet, but we broke up Friday night… Katy was pretty upset, but she was with Michaela…"

"_Oh… I'm so sorry… No, she hadn't told me… You and Katy always seemed so perfect together… Please call me if you hear anything, Edward! I'm so worried about her. This isn't like her, to not come home or even call. Michaela is gone too…_"

"Of course, I'll call you as soon as I know anything. I don't want anything to happen to Katy… We aren't a couple anymore, but I still care what happens to her…"

"_Thank you, Edward. Good bye._" And the call ended.

Katy was in trouble, and it was my fault. What had Esme said yesterday morning? '_If she's sensible… then we shouldn't have anything to worry about._' Obviously Katy wasn't being sensible, but what had she done now, and how was I going to find her?

**Authors Note:**

**Speak Easy** - Illegal bars and after hours clubs that became popular with gangsters and underworld organized crime during Prohibition. Also known as Blind Pig/Blind Tiger

**Prohibition** – A period in US American history (1919-1933) where the sale of Alcoholic beverage was illegal in the United States of America.


	16. You've Kept Me Waiting

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **APOV (Alice), Alice's turn, but Edward might continue the story in the next chapter. Bella may have a say later on as well.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Sorry about the delay in getting this posted. I thought I was going to have it up last week, but here it is now.

If you have time, please take a look at my other story, "Shades of Gray". I'm always interested in hearing about what you think of either story.

Updated for minor edits to punctuation and grammatical errors.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 15 You've Kept Me Waiting

APOV (Alice)

"There you are! You kept me waiting a long time, Jasper Whitlock!" I exclaimed as Jasper stopped on the next step down in front of me on the stairs.

"My apologies ma'am, but I had responsibilities I had to attend to before I could follow my heart. Can you forgive me, darlin?" Jasper said as he moved in front of me and wrapped his arms around my waist as he looked down into my eyes.

"Just promise me that we'll be a team from now on. I want to help, and you know I can. You could have trusted me to help you, you know." I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head down to me, and Jasper rested his forehead against mine.

"I promise, Alice. From now on, darlin, it's you and me together. Whatever happens from here on out, we're a team."

"C'mon, Jazz, let's get out of here and go someplace to talk…"

"Just talk, darling…?" Jasper asked with a lascivious grin on his face as he swept me up into his arms.

"Maybe not so much talking…" I chuckled with my arms around his neck holding him close.

We disappeared back down the hallway the way I'd just come, and the door opened and slammed closed behind us. I had left the lamp in the corner in the room on when I went out earlier, and the room was bathed in a soft glow. Jasper carried me to the couch. He set me down, and then sat down beside me.

"The couch? Don't you think we've waited long enough, Jasper?"

"At least allow me to be enough of a gentleman to talk to you first, Alice. I understand what we're both going through, but I'm not going to simply carry you off to bed and ravish you with out so much as a by your leave."

Well, I guess I was lucky to draw the southern gentleman, but I could do with a little ravishing about now. I'd been waiting weeks for this, and my body was craving Jasper. I needed him. All of him, and I wanted him now, but I could be good and wait if it made him more comfortable. I would do anything for him, and if it was what he needed, it was ok with me.

"Ok, I suppose you're right. So, tell me a little about yourself."

"What would you like to know?"

"Well, I know you were a Major in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and Esteban recruited you to help him settle in the North. Bella told us a little bit about the Southern Wars but she didn't go into too much detail."

I scooted closer to Jasper, and cuddled into his side. He wrapped his arm around me and it just felt so right to finally be close to him. I needed more, but I could deal with this for now.

"So you want the story of my life? It's not a happy story for the most part."

"None of our stories are. That doesn't mean I don't want to know more about you."

"Ok. Yes, I was the youngest Major in the Confederate Army in Texas. I don't really remember much of my early life before I was turned. I know I had a family. A mother and father and I had brothers and sisters, but most of that is vague and muddled now. It doesn't even seem like my life when I try to dredge up any of that past."

"I know I was the oldest, and my family felt very strongly about the war. My father used his connections to get me a commission as an officer, but it was my own ability at connecting with people and understanding them that allowed me to progress so rapidly through the ranks."

"I had been assigned to escort a column of women and children that we were evacuating from Galveston. They were settled in for the night, and I was returning to report in when I thought I'd stumbled upon a group of stragglers that had been separated from the main column. I immediately went to offer them my aid, but they weren't stragglers, and they weren't from our column of evacuees."

"That was the night I met Maria. She ended my human life and I was reborn to this existence. I was nineteen years old when my human life ended. You said Bella told you a little about the Southern wars. How much did she tell you?"

"She told us that at first the wars were fought for territory and hunting rights, but later it devolved into an endless series of vendetta and retribution as one Clan or another tried to avenge the deaths of their clan mates to settle the score. She said you were in the middle of all of that, and you led Maria's armies for nearly fifty years before the Volturi finally stepped in and ended the wars."

"I suppose that's a delicate way of explaining the chaos and turmoil that pervaded the times. She didn't explain how we fought those wars did she?"

"No… I assumed they'd be fought like any war…"

"No, not like any other war… We fought those wars with newborn armies. My troops were better trained and better equipped than a lot of our foes, but the fact remains that we used primarily newborn vampires to fight for us."

"How are newborns different and why is that significant?"

"Vampires are strongest and most violent and ferocious during their newborn year. Their human blood still lingers in their bodies and fills their tissues until it is slowly consumed and converted to venom. Mature vampires are more cunning and skilled, but they are easily overwhelmed by the brute force of massed newborns. When we were creating newborn armies, we relied more on quantity than quality. We would create masses of newborns and just point them in the direction of our enemy and they would destroy everything in their path."

"Many of the vampires we created counted their new lives in days or weeks, not centuries. We never let them live past the usefulness of their first year, unless they were special and had a gift we could use. That's why Maria kept me and let me live, because I could help her control her army and make them more effective. It was my responsibility to eliminate the few that survived to the year mark and were no longer useful to us."

"In time the wars started to attract the notice of the human authorities. The Southern Clans became a danger to the secret, but the wars were more important than maintaining our anonymity. The leaders in the South became arrogant and thought they could stand up to the Volturi with the armies they had created. They were wrong, and most of them paid the ultimate price for that arrogance."

"Most of them?"

"Some of them escaped or went into hiding. The Volturi had the resources to hunt them all down, but they felt it was better to leave some alive to spread the stories and remember what had happened so they wouldn't repeat the same mistakes again. Often the worst offenders that they let live become the strongest voice in favor of enforcement of the letter of the law."

"Maria took that route. She was always smart and knew when to act to benefit herself. I wouldn't call it foresight or seeing the future, but she had a heightened sense of self preservation and made the right decisions to stay out of trouble. We destroyed our army before the Volturi arrived, and then she made a deal to work with them to hunt down the other Clans. Esteban claimed me from Maria and took me into his service as the price for her life. I've been with him ever since, and I recruited and run his household guard."

"After the Southern Clans were suppressed and the wars ended, Aro released Esteban from formal service with the guard and sent him north to supervise the new changes to how they enforced the secret. We had to change to adapt to the changes in modern technology. Vampires had been supplementing their diet with animal blood for centuries, and it was obvious to most that a diet of primarily animal blood allowed larger groups of vampires to live together peacefully. The vampires in the North were already experimenting with clubs and humans that worked for them to supply their needs. We sanctioned the process and brought it under the formal enforcement of the Volturi."

"Esteban and I recruited Esme and opened our own club. It became the model for how the rest of the Clans operated and ran their businesses. Our kind has always operated on the fringes of society, so it seemed inevitable that we would become linked to the human underworld. Organized crime seemed tailored to how we live and it's been a very lucrative enterprise for us."

"So you're the boss now while Esteban is in Italy?"

"I suppose so, for all the good it does us. I've done my best to try and maintain what Esteban and I built over the last century, but I don't have all the resources Esteban had at his command. The other Clans had to have enforcers and crews running their operations, but our family operated mainly as a core management team. We ran the Club, kept up internal security, and I ran special operations with the household guard, but Esteban contracted out most of the day to day operations to his friends in the Volturi guard and their retainers. I don't have that resource, so I've been cutting back operations while recruiting heavily for the past five years to build up the kind of muscle the rest of the Clans already had in place."

"It's not a newborn army by any means. We're not sweeping the streets for homeless kids and turning them. We recruit mature vampires, although a lot of them are very young. Now that Bella is trained, I'm going to need her to step up and carry her weight if we're going to make it through this."

"We can discuss our future later." I climbed onto Jasper's lap, and straddled his hips. "Right now we just need to get to know each other better. You have certain responsibilities you need to take care of first."

I rubbed myself against Jasper's lap, and I could feel the hard bulge in his pants grinding into my core. I placed my hands on the hard planes of his chest caressed his body as I leaned in and kissed the side of his cool neck.

"God, Alice, that's so good…" Jasper moaned. "You're not afraid of me at all are you?" He asked amazed.

"Why would I be afraid of you? You're my mate and my future. We're going to be together from now on, and I know you won't hurt me."

My fingers found the buttons of his shirt and opened them to expose his chest. His hard white skin was crisscrossed with scars. Some were long and straight from swords and weapons. Others were the smaller jagged half moons of bite marks. I kissed the scars that marked his neck and traced the long straight scar that ran across his jaw and up his cheek to the corner of his eye.

"That doesn't disgust you? I carry the scars of a hundred and forty-five years of near constant fighting. Somebody died for each of those scars. A lot more died that weren't good enough to leave their mark."

"You carry your scars on the outside. My scars are on the inside. Maybe not so many but give me some time, and I'll see what I can do about that."

"I like you the way you are now. I feel that I have to be honest with you, Alice. I've been with other women in the past. I lived with Maria for fifty years. We weren't exclusive. There were other girls too, but we were together most of that time."

"I might be seventeen, Jasper, but I'm not a virgin. I don't have a happy past either."

"Ok. At least we're even on that score. I know you've probably considered this too, but I've killed a lot of people, Alice. It's kind of what I do. It's what I'm good at. I solve problems for Esteban, and mostly that means eliminating obstacles. Usually those obstacles are people that won't go along with what we want, or are just in the way. Sometimes they're people that just know too much."

"I'm not an innocent little girl, Jasper. We're still even. My hands are bloody too. I won't hold your murders against you if you don't hold mine against me."

"Your hands are bloody? Now I'm curious, darlin. Who have you killed?"

"I told you I wasn't a virgin. I was raped before I was ten years old. The Cullen's adopted me after that. I started training in the martial arts for more than just self defense and therapy. Carlisle and Elizabeth never knew, and I think I hid it from Edward too, but I hunted all of them down. The boys that did that… I made them pay for what they did to me. They're all dead, and they won't hurt anyone else ever again."

"I saved Derek for last. He was supposed to be my brother, but he set me up and held me down while they did it. You have to get up close and personal to kill with a knife. I could see the fear in eyes as I held him down. I had to break his legs so he couldn't run away, but there was more fear than pain in his eyes. Then the fear went away as his eyes turned flat and glassy. It was too fast and easy for him. I should have made him suffer more, but I was pressed for time."

"Maybe you are suited to this life after all. Esteban told me you were, but I didn't really believe him. I guess I was trying to protect you from what I am all this time."

"You don't have to protect me from what you are or the life you lead. You're my soul mate, and I'm bound to you now as you're bound to me. I've been waiting for you for a long time. The first time I saw the future, I saw us together. I saw you Jasper Whitlock, and I knew you were my future. Now you're finally mine…"

Jasper's big hands were tracing up and down my sides and my arms snaked around his neck as I leaned in and my lips found his. I tangled my fingers in his hair and pressed my open lips onto his mouth as I pressed up against him. My lips parted and the tip of my tongue traced along his lower lip. I felt his lips part and then the tip of his tongue met mine. The feeling was incredible. It was slick and sweet and velvety as I reveled in the feel of Jasper's tongue exploring my mouth. His scent was intoxicating and I lost myself in the moment as the emotions that were surging through me swept me away.

An immeasurable time later, he broke the kiss to allow me to pant against his neck as I tried to catch my breath. I was moving on his lap grinding against the hard bulge in his pants that pressed into me. He kissed along my jaw to the hollow beneath my ear and kissed down the column of my neck. I shuddered against him in pleasure as his cool lips moved on me.

I felt his hands on my hips, and then his fingers found the hem of my shirt below the small of my back. I felt him start to tug it up, and I leaned back and let him pull it up my body. I raised my arms and he pulled it off over my head and tossed it onto the floor. I felt his cool fingertips trace up the smooth skin of my back, but I reached back behind myself, and unclasped my bra. Jasper's hands continued up to my shoulders unimpeded and he slipped the straps off my shoulder as I stared into his eyes. He reached for me and lifted the cups away from me. I let my arms slip out of the lacy piece of fabric, and then it joined my shirt on the floor.

Jasper cool finger traced onto my stomach and I felt his hands encircle my waist and then move higher as his thumbs traced a line up the center of my stomach and them on to my chest.

"You're so tiny Alice. So perfect, so beautiful… and finally mine now…"

His hands cupped my breasts, and I gasped and arched my back as I pressed into the cool palms of his hands. The feel of my nipples grinding into the hard palms of his hands was incredible as he gently squeezed. The sensation felt like it was hard wired to my core and I felt the tight coil in my stomach wind tighter as the desire pooled in my panties. I felt the low rumble of the growl in Jasper's chest and I knew he could smell the scent of my arousal.

I leaned into his hands, pressing harder against his grip as I ran my hands up his chest. I kissed up his neck to his ear. I nipped at his earlobe between my teeth and breathed into his ear.

"Take me to bed now, Jasper, unless you're going to claim me right here on the couch…"

I felt the growl rumble through his chest again, and then he was sweeping me up into his strong arms like I weighed nothing at all. His lips found mine again, and then we were moving into the bedroom. It was darker in the bedroom. There weren't any lights on, but the soft glow from the living room filtered into the room so it was darker, but bright enough for me to see once my eyes adjusted to the light. I expected him to rush and be at the bed in an instant, but he walked slowly at a human pace as his mouth moved on mine and our tongues swirled and danced while he explored.

He swept back the covers with one hand and then gently deposited me on the sheets. I thought he'd join me, but he moved down and reached for my ankle. Jasper opened the buckle on the ankle strap of my shoe and slid it off my foot and then took my other leg and removed my shoe for me as I leaned back on my elbows and watched him work. He slipped out of his shirt, and then sat and removed his boots and socks.

I scooted over to make room for him and caressed the hard muscles of his back and broad shoulders as I waited for him. He lay down beside me, and gathered me into his strong arms as he moved over me, and then his lips found mine again. My arms snaked around his neck. My hands caressed the back of his head to tangle my fingers in his hair as I pulled myself closer into the kiss.

Jasper's hand moved onto my chest and he cupped my breast and tweaked at my nipple as it hardened into a pebble and the areola crinkled around it. I gave myself over to the sensations coursing through my body and we moved together in rhythm as we caressed and touched. Jasper's lips moved on mine and our tongues danced back and forth, circling and teasing and exploring. I knew his teeth were sharp but I was daring and careful and I did my share of exploring.

His hand trailed back down across my stomach and onto my hip. Jasper's hand stroked up and down my thigh, and then dipped between my legs and stroked across my crotch. The feeling was wonderful, and I knew he could feel the heat and dampness even through the fabric of my jeans. His hand moved onto the button of my jeans, and deftly flipped it open, and then his fingers were on my zipper pulling it down. He started to ease my pants lower, and I lifted my hips so he could pull my pants down past my ass.

Jasper slid a little lower and sat up. He reached for the cuffs of my jeans and pulled them down off my legs and dropped them over the side of the bed.

He leaned back over me, and his nose and lips dipped into the valley between my breasts. His lips trailed to the side as he kissed onto my chest, and then his cool lips wrapped around my nipple as he sucked it into his mouth.

His hand caressed down my stomach, across my mound, and cupped my sex through the triangle of my panties between my legs as the heel of his hand ground into me. I knew he could feel my heat and my panties were wet under his firm cool fingers. The tight coil in my stomach wound tighter as his hand stroked between my legs.

His lips moved across my chest to my other breast and his cool lips found the hard pebble of my other nipple. His cool wet tongue swirled around my crinkled flesh and the coil in my stomach wound tighter still as I arched my back into him.

Jasper's hand slid under my ass between my legs, and then I felt his fingers hook into the elastic on my panties and pull them down off of my ass. I raised my legs and bent my knees back as he pulled them down my legs and off over my feet.

His hands hooked behind my knees spreading my legs around his body and pushing my legs back so my feet rested flat on the mattress. His nose and lips trailed lower across my stomach to the top of my hips.

My heart was racing and my breathing was hitched. The intensity of his delicate touch sent electric jolts down my spine and hot twinges ricocheting around my pelvis. I took in a sharp breath and tried to calm myself down as I felt his nose trailing back and forth across the top of my pelvic bone before slowly going further south into my pubic hair.

His cool hands moved onto my sex, and I felt his cold dexterous fingers trail along my lips and spread the folds apart. His finger trailed circles around my clitoris and I bucked involuntarily into him as I moaned at the intense pleasure of finally having his hands on my body.

His cold probing fingers trailed up and down on my sex spreading my slippery fluids around. My breath shuddered from between my lips and I laid my head back onto the pillow. My body was screaming for penetration and I fought to keep myself from bucking my hips up into his hand.

His fingers slid down to my entrance, slowly teasing me before pressing his middle finger inside. I felt myself shudder with pleasure, and I groaned and let out cry of delight at the new and intense sensation. I had touched myself before, but it felt so much better when Jasper penetrated me. I was ready for this and I wanted it. I needed this and it felt so right.

I felt Jasper quickly shift between my legs and lean in, and then his tongue was moving on me. I gasped at the cool wetness as it lapped flat against me from just above where his finger was penetrating me, and then up to the throbbing peak where my clit was poking out of it's hood.

I heard and felt his smooth moan vibrate against my heated flesh. He circled his tongue around my clit, flicking and teasing the sensitive bundle of nerves. He began lapping his tongue up and down between the folds, going in circles around my clit, up and down, flicking back and forth lightly, and moving from where his finger pumped into me then back up to circle and tease my clit.

I grasped the back of his head and tangled my fingers in his hair, holding him against me. He was causing such delicious sensations to course through me. Just a little more, a little closer and I knew I'd reach my peak…

"Oh god, that's incredible… Jut a little higher… Yesss, yesss… Right there…"

Oh. My. God. He was right on target and my legs clamed around his ears as his glorious tongue pushed me closer to the edge. My god, he was like a machine… He didn't have to stop to breath and he never got tired. Once he found the spot that gave me the most intense pleasure, he honed in on it and drove me closer and closer to the edge.

I was panting hard I was so close as the coil in my stomach wound tighter and then I reached my peak. I fell off the edge as my climax flashed through my core, and my orgasm crashed through me.

I wanted to scream and I shrieked Jasper's name as I clenched tight around his finger buried deep inside me. He pressed his tongue flat against my clit as it throbbed and pulsed under his touch. I felt a flood of wetness, my toes curled into the sheet and my eyes rolled back in my head as I plunged over the edge into the throes of my orgasm…

I was panting hard and trying to take deep breaths as awareness returned and calm flooded my senses as the heavenly bliss spread through me. This was so much more incredible with Jasper than anything I had experienced before.

My legs unclamped from around his head and I lay back against the mattress enjoying the contented bliss that flooded through me. Jasper took the opportunity to shed the rest of his clothes, and then he moved back up the bed and gathered me into his arms to cuddle me. He pulled the covers up over us and I nuzzled into his chest as his strong arms wrapped around me.

He gave me the time I needed to enjoy the contented bliss and pleasure that flooded through me and I relaxed into his arms. I was stroking his hard chest, and started to plant small kisses on his chest and nipples. Jasper was aware that I was ready for more, and he started by stroking my short hair and planting light kisses on the top of my head.

Jasper eased me onto my back and then leaned in to kiss me. His open lips found mine and his tongue was in my mouth. We move together between the sheets as I caressed his neck, his shoulders, his back, his tight ass. His hands were on my body driving my arousal higher again as he stroked and tweaked and caressed every inch of my flesh.

He broke our kiss and I panted against his cheek as he nuzzled against me. Jasper placed open mouthed kisses along my jaw line to the hollow beneath my ear. His tongue flicked out tasting the shell of my ear and I felt his cool sweet breath against me.

"You know what I have to do, darlin…"

"Yes…" I moaned into his ear.

"I have to make you mine. I have to claim you as my mate."

"You already own my soul, take my body too. I'm yours Jasper. I love you…"

"You really do. I can feel the intensity of your love. It amazes me that you can love me as intensely as I love you, Alice. You truly are my soul mate."

His open lips moved back onto mine and our tongues danced as he deepened the kiss. I lost myself in the sensation of his lips moving on mine his tongue circling and the intense sweetness of his taste the slippery strength of his velvety caresses. He literally took my breath away and then I was panting again as he broke the kiss and slowly planted open mouth kissed down the column of my neck.

Jasper lifted my chin to tilt my head back and give him better access. His lips pressed a kiss onto the pulse point in my throat and then his lips opened against my neck. I felt his tongue swipe across the artery in my throat, and my pulse hammered in my veins as my heart pounded. Calm washed over me and my heart slowed as I relaxed, and then I felt Jasper's teeth brush against my skin.

There was a short sharp pain as his teeth sank into my skin and I felt the spurt of hot liquid that surged out of my throat and into Jasper's mouth. I felt him suck at the wound in my neck, and I swooned, light headed as the flow of blood was redirected away from my brain and into his mouth. I felt his cool breath from his nostrils flow out against my heated skin, and then his body became rigid and hard as he inhaled my scent. His hands clamped down on me and it was painful as I was locked in his iron grip. It went on longer than I had expected, and then I felt fear wash through the room. His grip on my shoulder and jaw relaxed and Jasper's tongue was pressed against the wound in my neck staunching the flow. His tongue swiped against my flesh, and there was a tingling sensation before he pulled away.

Jasper turned away and wouldn't look at me as I lay back against the bed. I turned to him and leaned on one elbow as I studied his back.

"Jasper, talk to me. What's wrong?"

"You could at least try to pretend to be curious when you ask a question, Alice."

"Huh," I sighed. "That's going to take some getting used to. I'm not used to people knowing what I'm feeling when I talk to them. Ok, I know what's wrong, but I'm not going to let you wallow in self pity and ruin the mood. Now turn over right this instant, Jasper Whitlock, and face me when I'm talking to you."

"Yes, ma'am." Jasper rolled back over to face me and he looked remorseful. I could read the self loathing on his face, and I knew what was wrong.

"You were not going to hurt me, Jasper. I know it, and don't think I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"I could have killed you, Alice! I shouldn't have inhaled. I caught your scent and I didn't want to stop!"

"But you did stop. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Jasper."

"I'm sorry, Alice. I don't spend a lot of time in the Club like the others do. I was raised as a traditional vampire, and we didn't feed on animal blood in the south. In my line of work, I'm often free to indulge my appetites, and I don't have as much practice as the others at controlling my bloodlust."

"You knew I wasn't really curious when I asked you what was wrong, because you have an ability. You can read and influence emotions. I have an ability too. I can see the future, and I know you weren't going to hurt me. You're not going to hurt me, so just get over it. You've got more responsibilities this afternoon."

"And what exactly would those responsibilities be, ma'am?" Jasper asked, but I could already see that his mood was improving. I'd have to see what I could do to make him feel better.

"Well, to begin with, you can stop calling me ma'am, and get started insuring that your mate is perfectly satisfied and loved."

"I think I can handle that responsibility, darlin." Jasper said, allowing me to change the subject. "I've only seen one mating happen before this, with Rosalie and Emmett, and it still amazes me how fast it happens and the intensity of the emotions involved. I'm amazed that Edward held out as long as he did."

"I knew he'd give in eventually. He wasn't going to be able to resist much longer anyhow."

"So Edward really thinks he fell in love with Bella on his own, and made a conscious choice to choose her?"

"If it makes it easier for him to accept all of this, then it's in our best interests to go along with that story and let him think that's what happened."

"You are a devious one, aren't you, Alice."

"If it makes Edward happier to think he chose Bella over Katy, then so be it. You and I both know it's more instinct than love. He hasn't known Bella long enough to have fallen in love with her on his own. The only decision Edward made was to stop fighting and let the mating bond work its magic on him. It's not like they won't be happy together, they're mates. They were made for each other. They're like the two halves of the same life now, but enough about my dear brother, and my new sister."

I pushed Jasper's shoulder back, and he let me push him down so he was lying on his back. I scooted closer throwing my leg over his hips, and scrambled on top straddling his waist.

"We have more important things to take care of right now."

I could feel his hard cock pressing into my crotch, and the folds of my slippery sex parted around his hard shaft as it pressed down flat against his body. I ground my hips into him, and the feel of his hard erection sliding between my lips and rubbing up against my clit was exquisite.

I knew all I had to do was rise up and reach around to line him up with my opening, and he could be inside me instead of rubbing up against me. This was nice, but I wanted him inside.

Then Jasper's hands were locked on my hips, and I couldn't move. I reviewed what I knew about today, and then it hit me. Yes, it would be like this, but we needed a condom. Why did we need a condom?

"Alice, I don't mean to be indelicate, but are you using birth control?"

"You mean, am I on the pill? Birth control pills? No, I haven't wanted to be with any other guys since I saw the vision of us together. Should I be on the pill?"

"I think it would be advisable at this stage in our relationship. I don't think either of us is willing to abstain from having a physical relationship, and I don't want to take a chance on getting you pregnant."

"I could get pregnant?"

"Well, as much fun as this all is, darlin, that is the usual expected outcome from pursuing this type of activity to its logical conclusion."

"I know how it all works, Jasper. I mean you could get me pregnant? Is that even possible?"

"Very possible, and almost inevitable unless we're very careful. You should start taking birth control pills as soon as you can get a prescription, and your cycle allows. In the mean time, we need to use condoms to keep you safe."

Jasper reached over the side of the bed and retrieved his pants. He reached into the pocket, and then handed me a foil packet.

"Do you get a lot of opportunity to use these in your line of work too?" I asked as I turned the packet between my fingers.

"No, but I knew I was coming up her to see you, and I felt it was prudent to be prepared considering you're my mate."

I glanced at the package. "Magnum? Are we just a little proud of ourselves? You know statically, one size fits all usually applies in this situation."

"I'll let you be the judge of that, Alice." Jasper said with a smirk.

I'd been grinding back and forth on his shaft since he'd released my hips to reach for his pants, and I could feel his hard shaft sawing back and forth between the lips of my sex, getting us both aroused as my free flowing juices lubricated his cock. I slid further back onto his hips and really looked down at his cock for the first time. It sprang up erect at full mast as I slid back off of it.

My god! That was going to split me in half! I knew he was in the cavalry, but he was supposed to be an officer, not the horse! It couldn't possibly fit. It had been incredibly tight with just his finger inside of me. Now it was my turn to be afraid.

"What's wrong, Alice? Is the magnum too small?" Jasper asked with a smirk turning up the corners of his lips. "You said you'd seen this. Are you having second thoughts?"

He was right. I had seen this. Not every single detail so it played like a movie, but enough bits and pieces to have an idea of what to expect.

"No second thoughts. I was just startled. It's one thing to see bits and pieces and get an idea of what's coming, but really living it can still be a shock sometimes. My god, is that real?"

"The change does tend to enhance certain parts of the anatomy, but I was fairly well endowed before I became a vampire. I've never received any complaints."

"Can I touch it?" I asked, intrigued by this new experience.

"Of course, darling, please indulge your curiosity."

I reached out to touch it, and Jasper's erect cock twitched under my fingers. I wrapped my hand around his shaft, and there was a wide gap between my thumb and fingertips. I dropped the condom onto the bed beside me, and wrapped both hands around Jasper hard cock and stroked up and down his length.

"Oh god, Alice… That's very nice, darlin…" Jasper moaned as my hands stroked him.

Jasper's cock was hard like a slightly flexible steel bar but silky smooth and velvety soft to my touch as the skin covering his cock moved with my hands. It was well lubricated with my juices and my hands slipped up and down the length of it as Jasper shuddered under my grip.

I could see a glistening drop of pre-cum lubrication ooze from the slit like opening in the tip of the bulbous head, and I was overcome with a desire to taste it. I leaned down and licked the head of Jasper's cock, and then swirled my tongue around it. It was slightly salty, but sweet, and I wanted more. Jasper moaned at the contact, and then locked his wrists together behind his head while I continued my exploration.

Well, I was this far, and besides I seen snippets of visions of this happening. I'd watched my share of porno videos on the internet, and read enough smutty stories to have a pretty good idea how to do this and what Jasper would like. I decided to just go for it, and sucked the head of Jasper's cock into my mouth.

My lips wrapped around the head of his cock, and I swirled my tongue around the head as I moved on him. Jasper was moaning loudly with each downward bob of my head. My hands were wrapped around the base of his cock, squeezing and stroking his shaft in time with my oral attention.

"Oh my god... Jesus, Alice… That feels sooo good..."

I hallowed out my cheeks, and increased the vacuum in my mouth, sucking harder. Jasper moaned and his hips bucked gently as I flicked my tongue against the underside of his shaft and then circled it around the base of his head.

"So good… You're so hot… God this is fucking incredible…"

Jasper moaned loud, as he lost himself in the pleasure. My lips wrapped around him, and my head was bobbing up and down. My hands wrapped around the shaft of his cock stroking him and milking his cock. He let go his death grip on his wrists, and his hands lightly stroked my short hair as it slipped between his fingers.

His eyes were closed, and his head was thrown back, thrashing from side to side on the pillows. His whole body was shaking with the pleasure I was giving him and I knew it was an effort for him to hold back and not thrust his hips up into my mouth and possibly hurt me.

I tried taking him deeper into my mouth, but he was so big. I couldn't fit much more than his head and an inch or two of the shaft in my mouth. I could feel the head of his cock brush against the back of my throat, and I wanted to gag, so I backed off. I swallowed involuntarily with Jasper still full in my mouth and it eased the sensation in my throat. Jasper moaned as my muscles constricted around him. I knew what to do when the time came.

I reached down with one hand and hesitantly touched his scrotum, and I heard him moan louder_._ I gently palmed it for a moment, before rolling his balls around in my hand. A startled moan escaped his lips at the amazing new sensation this apparently generated. I caressed his balls and gently tugged on his sack. Thank god for the internet and deliciously smutty stories. There was so much I wanted to try, but I didn't think he was going to last much longer.

"Ooh God!" Jasper moaned out loudly, totally startled by how good the gentle tugging felt.

I felt Jasper tense up, and I sensed his imminent release.

"Alice... I... Oh god… So good… Darlin, I'm going to... Ooh! Alice!"

He lightly tapped my head in warning, but I wanted this and I held tighter and sucked harder. With a tremendous groan he exploded down my throat, panting, twitching and moaning in ecstasy.

I felt Jasper's orgasm splash into the back of my throat and I didn't even think of pulling away or spitting it out. His cock was deep in my mouth, and I locked my lips around him and swallowed. It tasted kind of like the drop of pre-cum, but it was cool and salty sweet and filled my mouth as I tried to swallow all of it down. I got most of his cum, but a little dribble escaped and ran down my chin.

I gave him one last lap of my tongue up his shaft, and wiped my chin before placing a quick peck on the head of his cock. I sat back on my heels with a smug, satisfied grin plastered across my face. That was almost as incredible for me as it had been for Jasper, and my sex was literally drenched as my juices ran down my legs. I was so turned on and horny right now, I was ready to go, but Jasper would probably need some time to recover...

Jasper lay there limply on the sheets in post coital bliss, grinning like a fool, but his cock was still hard. I was pretty sure a normal guy would have gotten soft after shooting his wad like that. At least that was how I thought it was supposed to work, but Jasper still looked like he was ready to go.

"Jazz, dear, are you ok?" I asked as I tentatively reached out and touched his cock again. It twitched against my hand but it wasn't getting any smaller.

"More that ok, darling, thank you, that was amazing."

"Your cock is still hard… Isn't it supposed to get soft after you shoot like that?"

"If I was human, yeah it would, but I'm not human. If I concentrated on cooling down my mood so I wasn't so aroused right now I could make it soft, but where's the fun in that? I could stay like this for weeks if you were capable of keeping up."

"So, you're saying I don't have to wait, and you're ready to go again?" I asked as I felt around on the mattress and found the condom package.

"No, sugar, I don't need to wait. I'm good to go if you're up for it."

"Well you certainly are." I smiled at Jasper and held up the condom. "So am I."

"Do you know how to put that on?"

I just nodded as I carefully tore open the foil package, and took out the condom. I studied it for a second to see which side was the top then I pinched the little receptacle tip between my fingers and placed it over the head of Jasper's penis. I rolled the condom down over his shaft, and it encased him snuggly like a thin second skin.

"That's pretty good, Alice. Have you had much practice using condoms?"

"They teach us in school. It's part of health class, but we didn't get to use real cocks though. There were an awful lot of excited bananas that day." I said seriously, and Jasper laughed.

I scooted forward onto Jasper again, and resumed my position with his hard shaft pressed flat, and ground it into my sex as I humped back and forth on his lap.

"Those lucky bananas couldn't be nearly as excited as you are right now, darlin."

"Oh, you think?"

"Even if I couldn't feel how excited you are, the way your heart's poundin' would give you away. Just relax, sugar, and take it at your own pace."

I nodded with a serious expression on my face. Oh god, I was really going to do this…

But I wanted this. I needed this and I craved Jasper. I needed him more than air to breathe right now. I needed him inside me. I needed us to be one, and only this act of love would complete me.

This would be easier for me if I let jasper take the initiative and he was on top, but we both knew this was safer. I had more control like this. Jasper could still hurt me, but if we took things at a pace I was comfortable with, he was less likely to lose control.

His hands were back on my hips, but they weren't moving me or controlling my actions. It felt nice. He just wanted to touch me, and I liked the feel of his cool hands on me.

I rose up onto my knees, leaning forward so I was squatting over Jasper's hips, and I reached back and grasped his hard cock in my hand. It felt huge and my fingers wouldn't reach all the way around it.

I stroked his cock through my folds a couple of times, spreading my slippery fluids around, and ground the head of his cock against my clit. Then I moved it back and I felt the head of his cock pressing against my opening. I held him steady and let my weight settle onto him, and I groaned as the head popped inside.

"Unhhh…Oh My Fucking God… Fuck fuck fuck…It's so big …" I panted. I had to stop right there and froze as I adjusted to the feel of the head of his cock inside me splitting me open. I was clenched tight around his cock head, but I knew I had to relax.

I reached down between my legs and started to finger and stroke my clit. The coil in my stomach started to wind tighter as I relaxed my death grip on his cock head and let myself adjust to Jasper's cock pressing into me.

"God, Alice… You're so tight…" Jasper moaned as his strong hands caressed my hips.

I was panting hard, but I adjusted to the feel of Jasper's monster cock invading my most intimate opening. I moaned as I let my weight settle back, and I slipped lower an inch at a time as more of his cock moved inside of me.

"Unhh… God! … Unhhh… You're so fucking big… Jasper… Unhhh…" I panted.

I was moaning almost incoherently and panting hard as I eased back onto Jasper. My pubic bone hadn't reached bottom yet, but I could feel the head of his cock pressing against my cervix deep inside of me. I stopped again to let my body adjust to the feel of his cock.

"God, Alice… I love you, darlin… Just take it slow and easy, sugar…"

I nodded as I bit my bottom lip. My hands were resting on Jasper's chest as I supported myself above him. I eased my hips upwards a little and slid back down and the sensations that shot through my body made me shiver with pleasure and another groan escaped my lips.

"Unhh… God! … Unhhh… Jasper… Unhhh…" I panted and moaned as I took him inside of me.

I started to move on him, and waves of pleasure shuddered through me with every movement as I lifted my hips and then thrust back against Jasper's cock. I was more adjusted to having him inside me now and I thrust harder and deeper onto his invading cock.

"Unhh… Unhhh… God…! Unhh… Unhhh… So fucking big… Jasper… Unhhh…" I panted.

My arms were too weak to support me anymore, and my bones felt like they were turning to jelly as waves of pleasure shuddered through my body. The coil in my stomach wound tighter as I drove myself closer and closer to my peak. I felt my chest pressed against Jasper's as I lay panting on top of him.

"God, darlin… You are so fucking hot and tight… Don't worry… I'll be gentle with you. Just relax and enjoy the ride."

Jasper's hands were on my hips gripping me tighter, and then I felt him rock his hips upward driving his cock into me. It went in so deep, and then it was sliding back out. He rocked forward again driving it deep, and I could feel every ripple and vein on his cock as it slid so very deep into me.

"Unhh… Unhhh… God…! Unhh… fuck… Unhhh…" I panted and moaned.

Jasper was rhythmically pounding into me, driving his massive cock deep into my core and then sliding it almost all the way out again. It hit bottom with every stroke and I could feel the head of his cock pushing deep inside of me driving me closer and closer to the edge.

"Fuck… Unhhh… fuck… Jasper… Unhhh…fuck…" I was panting hard I was so close as the coil in my stomach wound tighter spiraling higher and faster towards my peak.

"Unhhh…Oh God… Fuck… God, I'm so close… I'm gonna cum!" I screamed. Jasper thrust hard and fast once, twice, again, and then suddenly I was at the peak. My climax flashed through my core, and the orgasm crashed through me.

I screamed Jasper's name as I clenched tight around his massive cock buried deep inside me. He held himself still, buried to the hilt as my clit throbbed and pulsed against his hard shaft.

I felt a flood of wetness, all the muscles in my body contracted, my toes curled tight and my eyes rolled back in my head as I plunged over the edge into the throes of my orgasm…

I was trying to take deep breaths as awareness returned and the heavenly bliss spread through me. I realized I wasn't on top of Jasper's chest anymore. I was on my back on the bed. Jasper was above me now between my legs. His cock was still buried deep inside my core giving me an intense sense of fullness that radiated through me.

"Welcome back, darlin," Jasper drawled in my ear. "Are you ready for more?"

His open lips pressed down onto mine and then I felt his tongue in my mouth as it circled around mine, dancing and teasing. My arms snaked around his neck and tangled in his long honey blond hair, pulling him closer. The sensation was incredible, as though every inch of my body was touching some part of Jasper.

Our lips and tongues danced and explored as he made love to my mouth. His chest was pressed to mine gently pressing me down into the mattress, but I knew he wasn't letting his full weight pin me down and crush me. His hips were pressed to mine between my legs with his cock buried to the hilt inside of me. I raised my knees and wrapped my legs around him so my ankles were hooked behind his thighs.

"You didn't cum?" I asked breaking the kiss and panting against his neck.

"Not yet, darlin, I wanted to make sure you were taken care of first." Jasper raised his hips, sliding out, and then thrust back into me. "Ready for round two?"

"Oh God… Yesss…" I moaned.

Jasper's hands were fisted in the sheet on either side of my body as he supported his weight on his elbows, and I felt him rock his hips upward sliding his cock into me. Then it was driving back into me, so deep inside. He rocked back and forward again driving it deep and I could feel every inch of his cock as it slid so very deep into me.

"Unhhh… Oohhh God…!" I groaned as the waves of pleasure rocketed through my pelvis and shuddered through my body,

Jasper was rhythmically pounding into me again. It was like when he was licking me, he found the perfect rhythm to drive my pleasure higher, and then he was like a machine, driving his massive cock deep into my core and then sliding it almost all the way out again. Never tired, never missing a stroke. Over and over as he drove into me hitting bottom with every stroke.

"Unhh… Unhhh… God…! Unhh… fuck… Unhhh…" I grunted and moaned.

I could feel the head of his cock pushing deep inside of me driving me closer and closer to the edge. The feeling was surreal as wave after wave of intense pleasure rolled through me. I felt my awareness drift away into the trance like state where the present and future were the same and the pathways to all the possibilities were laid out before me.

I was panting hard and grunting incoherently in time to Jasper thrusting into me. Words were lost to my awareness as the coil in my stomach wound tight again and I spiraled closer and closer towards my peak again.

"Unhhh… Unhhh… Unhhh …" I panted hard as Jasper thrust hard and fast into me, and then my climax flashed through my core, and another orgasm crashed through me.

I was beyond screaming as I clenched tight around his massive cock buried deep inside me. He held himself still, buried to the hilt as my clit throbbed and pulsed against him and I lost myself in the orgasmic bliss.

The hormones and chemicals coursing through my blood were like a drug enhancing my awareness far beyond what I had ever seen through meditation or smoking pot to reach the dream state, and the future that lay before us had never been so clear. I knew what we had to do, and I could guide us through this if I could convince the others to listen…

Jasper waited until my heart stopped pounding and my breathing calmed down, and then he was thrusting into me again. My eyes rolled back in my head as his cock hammered into me again and I grunted and moaned in time to each thrust as he stroked deep into my core on every thrust. My god he was like a machine and he never got tired. I was beyond speech and incoherent in my bliss as the waves of pleasure started to flash through my body again. God, I wasn't going to be able to walk after this if I lived, but oh what a way to go…

…It was later… I stretched languorously as awareness returned and I drifted awake from my deep peaceful sleep. Jasper sat down on the edge of the bed and then slipped back under to covers next to me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and spooned into my back.

"Where did you go, Jazz?" I asked groggily, half awake.

"I called down to the restaurant, and told Esme that we wouldn't be joining them for dinner. If you feel like it later, we can go down to the club for a while."

"Ok, dancing might be fun if I can still walk…"

Jasper chuckled. "Oh I think you'll survive. Sleep now and we'll see the others after you've rested."

"Ok…" I cuddled closer to Jasper and let him cradle me in his strong arms. His cock was finally soft again, and I could feel it pressing into the crack of my ass as I drifted off to sleep…

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i

Jasper had his arm around my waist as the elevator car dropped down to the club level in the tower. I was wearing a purple knit mini-dress that came to about mid thigh with three quarter length sleeves that reached down to mid forearm. Of course I was wearing my Moreno medallion around my neck outside of the dress, but it would have been visible anyhow with the low neckline that showed off some cleavage. I had a black accent belt with a silver buckle around my hips, and matching five inch stilettos with a one inch platform sole. I didn't really need a purse, but I had a matching clutch with a few makeup essentials and my cell phone in it.

Jasper looked dashing in black Armani with no tie, but a couple of buttons left open on the dark dress shirt. I'd been a little surprised when he shrugged into the shoulder holster harness over his shirt. He checked the big automatic combat pistol and then slid it home into the holster. I guess it went with the territory and it was a part of my world now. I didn't really like guns, but I supposed I'd have to learn eventually.

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped out into the anteroom. We started down the long hallway with doors on either side, and I could hear the pounding beat of dance music from the end of the hall. The lights were turned down in the club, and bright flashing colored lights pulsed to the rhythm of the music in time with the beat.

Jasper kept his arm around my waist and guided me across the crowded room. I'd been here before, but it was shockingly different tonight. The last time I was here, Jessica and Angela had been with me, and everyone had been warned to maintain the human façade for the new girls that were visiting. Tonight was different. Everyone here knew, and there was no holding back or acting. Everyone could be themselves and the dancing was more intense and energetic. There were still humans mixed into the crowd, but it amazed me to see so many vampires gathered in one place.

We were halfway across the room when I saw where we were headed. Carlisle and Esme were curled up in a booth in the corner. They had drinks in front of them, and Esme was smoking a cigarette. The privacy booth was far enough from the dance floor and the speakers pounding out the dance beat that you could talk without yelling to be heard. I didn't see Edward and Bella but I knew they'd be joining us in a little while when they were fit to be back in public around pleasant company again.

Jasper led me to the booth. I slid onto the seat, and Jasper slid in beside me. He wrapped his arm around my waist pulling me into his side and I snuggled up close beside him. Jasper caught the eye of a cocktail waitress, and she started to head towards us.

Esme smiled warmly at us but Carlisle seemed a little more reserved and ill at ease. I knew he understood all of this on and intellectual level. He was going through the same thing with Esme, and he knew how intense all of the desires and emotions were. He knew we couldn't fight this even if we wanted too, but I was still his seventeen year old daughter, and another part of him was telling him that he should be protecting me from this. It didn't help matters that Esme had finally come clean, and told him all the gritty details about the Family.

"What can I get for you tonight, Major?" the waitress said as she walked up to our booth and stood there with her pad in her hand.

"The usual, Denise. Can I get something for you Alice? Carlisle, Esme, do you need your drinks freshened up?"

"Patron, make it a double, straight up and no lime." I said. Carlisle didn't comment but he raised an eyebrow as he stared at me.

"I think we're fine for now, dear," Esme said, addressing the waitress directly.

She nodded and trotted off to order our drinks. Jasper reached into his coat for his cigarettes, and I sat up a little straighter as he took one out and lit it. It was a Camel wide no filter and he offered me one from the pack, but I shook my head no, and he put them away. I knew I'd pick up that habit eventually, but I could wait until after I was changed when it made sense and I'd need it.

"Hey, Carlisle, Esme, how are you guys tonight?" I asked.

"So I'm Carlisle now? When did I stop being dad?"

"You'll always be dad, as long as you want to be…"

"Carlisle, dear, don't make this harder for her. You know what she's going through."

"I'm sorry, Alice… I'm good, all things considered. Are you ok?" Carlisle asked, and then turned a hard look on Jasper. "I'm trusting you with my little girl. She'll be treated with respect. If you hurt her, I don't care who or what you are, you'll answer to me."

Jasper nodded. "Yes, Sir. I wouldn't expect anything less. Alice is very special to me, and I won't allow anyone or anything to hurt her. I'll be dead before any harm ever comes to her."

Carlisle nodded back at Jasper. Ugg, men! You'd think they were trading horses or something, but at least they seemed to have come to a silent agreement. That would help if we could get all the caveman bullshit out of the way and move on.

The waitress came back to our table with out drinks on a tray. She set out cocktail napkins and set a straight double shot of bourbon in front of Jasper and my tequila in front of me. Then she disappeared back into the crowd. I picked up my drink and took a healthy drink before I set it back on the napkin.

"Really, Carlisle, I'm fine." I said. I had to get this out of the way now if we were going to be able to move forward on the timeline I was working with. "You've got to understand that things are going to be different now. I'm going to be with Jasper now, but you'll always be my father to me."

"Alice, darlin, I'm not going to be able to go back to Forks now. I might be able to slip away for a couple of weeks. Maybe a month tops if I make trips back and forth, but my responsibilities are here now. We made a special exception so I could get Bella up to speed and get her trained, but we always knew I wasn't going to be able to stay with her the whole time she was there. I need to be here in Seattle."

"I know. I'll be wherever you are now. I told you we're a team. You're going to need me to help you get the Family through the crisis ahead of us. A month should give us the time we need to clear up my affairs in Forks and setup a plausible story for people to spread around."

"What, are you just going to drop out of high school and run off to live with this… this man … this gangster!" Carlisle asked, totally flabbergasted by the sudden bombshell I'd tossed in his lap. He didn't look happy and I knew he didn't approve of the Family business.

"You're not required to participate in that aspect of our Family business if you find it objectionable, Carlisle. Esme runs the Club and restaurant for us, and she's usually fairly well insulated from the day to day operations of our more clandestine activities. We can find something for you that suits your abilities and temperament, but it'll be years before that's even something that we'll need to consider."

Carlisle made an almost imperceptible nod to Jasper to acknowledge his comment, but he was still staring at me.

"No, I'm not dropping out of school. That's why I said a month would allow us the time we needed to set everything up. The Moreno's have sent teams to Paris in the past, and they participate in some other high profile tournaments. We'll tell people that I've joined a new martial arts team in Seattle, but it's too far to travel back and forth for practice. We'll say that I'm moving into the city to be closer to the team, and they're setting me up with an apartment. I'll home school to finish high school and get my diploma. I already talked to Rose about that the last time I was here, and she manages home school classes for some of the other girls here that want to get their high school diplomas."

"I don't see why you can't just stay in Forks with us. Esme and I are planning on staying there for at least another eight months until Edward turns eighteen…"

"Could you stay away from Esme and just visit her on the weekends? Besides, you won't be in Forks for eight months, Carlisle. Edward and Bella will be there at least that long to keep up appearances, but you and Esme will be traveling a lot. Edward and Bella will be busy making some trips too, but they'll be in Forks most of the time." I turned and looked at Jasper. "Has Esteban brought you up to speed on everything we discussed on my last visit, Jasper?"

"No, bit's and pieces, but he was pretty cryptic. He told me to trust you completely, but I knew I would anyhow. He told me to follow whatever plan you laid out, and you'd guide us through this…"

"Good. I knew he was sensible if he'd managed to build all of this."

"Where are we going to be traveling to, Alice?" Esme asked.

"You need to start looking at property in Chicago. You're going to relocate the Club and restaurant there as soon as possible. Within the next six months tops. Sooner if possible, but you need to attract as little attention as possible. You'll need to arrange for housing for the all of the guard, the crews and talent. When the time is right, we'll pull our people out and let the rest of the Clans rip themselves apart, fighting for control of Seattle."

"That's a bold move, Alice. There's a strong human underworld element to consider, and they might not appreciate us moving into their territory." Jasper said a little apprehensively. "Are you sure we aren't just trading one war for another? At least here we have a secure base of operations and we know the territory and all the major players."

"We'll take a couple of trips out there and negotiate an arrangement. We'll make them an offer they can't refuse. They need us right now and we can provide services that will make us welcome for as long as we need to be there. By the time they get uncomfortable with us around, we'll be ready to make our next move. We'll be doing some recruiting while we're there, and we'll get stronger as the Clans here get weaker."

"I know some real estate brokers in Chicago that can help me get started." Esme said. "We'll have to sit down later, and we can discuss this plan in more detail."

"What about Alaska?" Carlisle asked.

"It's still a possibility, but it's uncertain now. Someplace in the Midwest seems more likely, but I'm not completely sure yet."

We talked a little more about plans and possibilities, but Carlisle seemed resigned to accept my advice once Jasper and Esme accepted what I told them without question. Esteban's endorsement of my ability and Jasper's trust in my judgment carried a lot of weight. After a while, Carlisle and Esme excused themselves and made their way out onto the dance floor and lost themselves in the crowd.

I sighed. "Well, that went about as well as can be expected."

"Your father is just worried about you. He really loves you, Alice. He's worried that you're trying to take on more responsibility than you can handle. You're only seventeen."

"And you were a Major in the Confederate Army when you were nineteen. That would have required you to be fist a Lieutenant and then a Captain at even younger ages, and neither of those positions was without considerable responsibility. From a psychological perspective, most people stop developing by seventeen, and they're the people they're going to be pretty much for the rest of their lives. The rest is all just maturity that comes as a result of longer experience with life. How old were you when you received your commission?"

"Sixteen, but those were different times. People had to grow up faster and take on responsibility younger. People were old in their thirties then."

"I might not have a ton of experience like the rest of you, but I've got my share of maturity, Jasper. I had to take on responsibility at a younger age than most people in my generation, or give up and let life crush me down. I chose maturity and responsibility over wallowing in self pity."

"Lucky for me, I've got an edge. I can see where we're heading, and I know what we need to do to get there. I think knowing what to do because I can see it makes up a little for knowing what to do from experience because I've been through it before. As long as I can get all of you to trust me and stick to the plan, we should live through this."

"How much can you really see, Alice? A lot of what happened today seemed like a surprise to you. I know your power will become stronger once you're changed, but where does that figure into the picture? You said you're moving to Seattle to be with me. Are you planning on having me turn you next month?"

"No, I know the newborn period is a traumatic process, and it'll affect my abilities, my moods and my ability to make rational decisions for too many months in the beginning. We don't have time for that now until we get settled in a safe place and have some breathing room again. I still see myself as human for a fair piece down the road. Our path is still unwinding before us, and everything still isn't clear, but I know the major decisions we need to make to set us up to come out on top. Random chance is still a big factor, but we'll have to make our own luck."

"Ok, I'll accept that. I've always been a betting man, and I'm up for a challenge."

"That's good, because we have a lot of hard work ahead of us if we're going to pull this off."

I looked out around the room, and it still amazed me that this could all be happening. That a club like this could even exist and the human world was completely ignorant of it. It was even more amazing that this wasn't the only club like this in the city, but there were probably half a dozen similar establishments scatted throughout Seattle.

"You know, it still amazes me that this whole sub-culture can even exist and the human world is completely oblivious to it."

"Oh, I wouldn't say they're completely oblivious. Certainly we aren't mainstream news, and we actively maintain the myths that surround our culture as a primary means of misdirection. Most humans don't want to believe that we exist or that we're real. There are a lot of humans that suspect, and some that know the truth that we pay off, but they know they're only safe as long as they keep their mouths shut."

"We're fairly safe from infiltration by law enforcement. Our senses are good enough to pick out humans trying to penetrate our inner circle. Besides, real life human serial killers are a worse threat to the general populous than we are for the most part. The Volturi actively hunt down any vampire that makes too big a spectacle of themselves. There are still a lot of vampires that live the traditional lifestyle, but they're discrete if they want to survive."

"So that's the traditional lifestyle? Mostly solitary nomads that prey on human victims for survival, but they keep on the move to avoid detection?"

"Yes, mostly solitary individuals or mated pairs. That was the extent of our society for literally thousands of years. Vampires learned that we could survive on animal blood a long time ago, but it's nowhere near as satisfying as human blood. Those of us that have extra abilities often find that we need the power of human blood to maintain control over our extra gifts."

"We figured out a long time ago that a diet of primarily animal blood allowed us to live together easier and form larger groups. That's what has allowed us to build all of this. The Southern Clans didn't follow that pattern, but then they weren't looking to coexist with anyone. They kept their armies well fed on human blood to make them stronger, but they were intent on wiping out their competition. The core groups of leaders were usually relatively small in comparison to the modern Northern Clans. They were essentially nomads that had staked a claim to a territory, and were willing to fight to defend it. I can appreciate the merits of what we've built in the North. It's a much more fulfilling lifestyle than how we lived in the South."

"Earlier when we were upstairs, you said that your culture had to change to adapt to the changes in modern technology. What did you mean by that? What changes have you had to make?"

"Probably the biggest change is our numbers. We've undergone a population explosion in recent centuries that roughly matches human population growth numbers. You know we're currently the only active predator that feeds on humanity. There's a school of thought that we evolved as a control for human population growth, but we're subverting our natural purpose for existence by abstaining from human blood. Unfortunately, intelligence has a way of trying to ignore nature. It's more lucrative for us to co-exist and skim the cream off the top than try and run the show ourselves. We leave humanity to their own devices for the most part and simply take what we need to survive."

"That's an interesting philosophy, and I suppose I can see the truth of it, but how does that relate to improvements in technology?"

"Improvements to medicine and agriculture over the last seven hundred years have made it possible for you to feed six billion humans on this planet. The only reason that there's still famine isn't because you can't produce enough food, but limitations in infrastructure and distribution techniques."

"Huh, ok. That makes sense. What other ways has technology affected your society?"

"Well, modern weapons technology has finally advanced to the point where humans can finally be a serious threat to us. That's been rather sudden and has changed drastically in the last hundred and fifty years. There was a time when the weapons that humans could craft and wield were a joke to us. Swords were always dangerous, but our speed and reflexes only made them dangerous in the hands of another vampire unless the humans were willing to sacrifice hundreds to take out one of us. Firearms, even large caliber handguns are powerful enough now that a well aimed shot can incapacitate one of us long enough for even a human to finish us off. Machine guns are just as deadly to us as they are to humans, if they realize they have to burn the pieces to kill us. Explosives can be bothersome as well."

"Hmm, ok. I've always considered guns dangerous, but I guess it would be worse to go from being almost invincible to suddenly having the playing field leveled."

"I wouldn't call it level, but it's possible for humans to hurt us now. They still need to know we even exist, and then take the limitations of their weapons into consideration to have a fighting chance."

"Ok. What other changes have you made because of technology?"

"How we govern ourselves and the decentralization of authority is another big change for us. We're less independent than we once were, and our leaders have more… I guess you could call it oversight. Even a century or two ago, a relatively small group could have a huge impact on our society, but they left us alone and we all minded our own affairs. The Volturi could sit in their castle in Volterra, and rule the vampire world while leaving most of us alone. They could respond to threats at their leisure and send out the guard to make examples or mete out punishment. They have to be able to react faster today because of modern communications and transportation technology. Modern technology has also made it easier for them to monitor the activities of the Clans, and tighten their grip on how we operate."

"It started off with viceroys in different regions to react to threats without waiting for word from Volterra, but then the guard needed fast reaction teams. They were forced to cover smaller and smaller areas, which required more teams. For the most part, we still police ourselves, but there are always those that want to buck the system or break the rules. The Volturi presence has become more oppressive over the course of the last century, but to your modern point of view, you'll probably not even notice it."

"What about Aro keeping Esteban in Volterra because he wants Bella? Isn't that against the rules?"

"No, not yet. Esteban has only been gone for five years. He has five years to go, and everything is still playing out according to the rules. Esteban is within his rights to serve in place of Bella if he wants to keep her, and Aro is within his rights to claim service from our Clan. It depends on what happens when Esteban's term is done. If Aro tries to force the issue at the end of Esteban's term, then he's breaking the rules."

"So what will happen then?"

"That's what everyone is waiting to find out. A lot of Clans are watching to see how this plays out. The Moreno's are an old and respected Clan, and there is a lot of discontent because Volterra is trying to break us to their will. If they can do it to us and get away with it, what's to stop them from taking what they want from any other Clan? If Aro makes a play for Bella after Esteban has served his term, we can probably expect a lot of support from the other Clans. Of course no one stands against Volterra and survives. Nobody has challenged their rule in nearly fifteen hundred years. Not since they broke the Romanians."

"Ok, that's useful information. Who do we have to worry about now? Who else want's a piece of Seattle?"

"Well, you know about the Fu's and the McCormick's. The Fu's are our biggest rival. The McCormick's used to be number three, but the Somerset's and the Blaine's are busy dividing up their territory now while what's left of the McCormick's try to hold onto something. That's been giving us some breathing room to recruit while they squabble for turf. The Marceau Clan, the Harrison Clan and the Sangier Clan are all biding their time, waiting to see what happens while they wait for an opportunity to strike to present itself. There are some smaller players and the independents, but eventually they'll align with one group or another."

"They're all just waiting for a chance to attack? That doesn't sound like a very stable society."

"I never said it was. Peace in our world happens when everybody else knows you're too powerful for them to fuck with you and survive to see some benefit from it. I'm sure Esteban told you, the Volturi only offer the right to rule. They don't enforce that right and they'll accept whoever comes out on top. You're entitled to as much as you can take and hold onto. If somebody else is powerful enough to take it away, then it's theirs. In our world, possession is more than nine tenths of the law. You can have as much law as you can make happen."

"So you're constantly squabbling for territory and fighting for turf?"

"No, these turf wars happen every couple of decades or so when something like this stirs things up and make us readjust to a new balance of power. For the most part our society typically stabilizes quickly and new lines are drawn."

"Quickly? This has been going on for five years, and it'll be five more years until it's settled."

"Ten years is 'quickly' to people that count centuries and live until someone kills them."

"Ok. So what's the deal with the Fu's then? Is this just a case of the two biggest kids on the block seeing who's toughest, or is there more to it? It's almost like they have some kind of personal grudge against us."

"How do I put this…? The 'public' reason the Fu's are challenging us is the fight for control of the territory. Eventually that'll stabilize and the power structure will get redrawn to the new realities. On the other hand, the Fu's always end up wherever we do so they can fuck with us."

"It is personal, but they can't come out and call it a vendetta. Two hundred and fifty years ago, Fu Chang Hong's brother aligned himself with the Romanian's against the Volturi. There was an uprising, and the Romanian's tried to assassinate Aro. Esteban was with the guard and killed Fu Chang Hong's brother. The Fu's can't come out and say they want us dead for what Esteban did without looking like they support the Romanian's, but they want us dead all the same."

"So they're harassing us while they look for an opening to take us down."

"Yeah, that's about the size of it, but Bella's a little sensitive to calling what happened to her harassment."

"Well, that backfired on them. They tried to fuck with us, and ended up giving Bella to us. She's our ace in the hole, and the key to all of this."

"I hope so, we're pinning an awful lot on what she'll be able to do for us. I wouldn't have let Aro have her either, but this whole conflict has erupted over her."

I finished my drink and set the empty glass back down on the napkin. Maybe I should have told Jasper to order some appetizers. I'd skipped lunch and dinner. Now I was drinking on an empty stomach, and it was going straight to my head. All this information was cool and necessary if I was going to help Jasper pull us through this, but I wanted to have some fun too. The DJ was playing some of my favorite songs now and I wanted to get up and move to the music.

"C'mon, Jazz, let's dance. We've spent enough time plotting and discussing the politics of our world. Let's have some fun."

"Dance? To this music? I don't know, Alice…"

"Jasper Whitlock! Do not tell me that you don't dance!"

"I dance… I've just never been comfortable with the music and styles of this era…"

"Well, suck it up Mister! Now march! We can begin acclimating you to the twenty-first century."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Jasper said with a grin, and slid out of the booth.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, and led me out onto the dance floor. Jasper was a little awkward as he walked beside me and I knew he was feeling self-conscious and thinking too much as we made our way onto the dance floor.

"Just let everything go and let the music move you." I spoke into his ear as I reached up wrapping my arms around his neck and pulled him close for a minute.

We moved through the press of bodies surging against us to the center of the room. I held Jasper's hands and helped him to move with me as the pounding beat of the loud music throbbed through us.

"Try and feel the rhythm and just let it move you." I knew he could hear me even over the steady rhythmic beat of the music.

I ignored of the crowd of people writhing around our bodies as Jasper finally let go and surrendered to the dance. I knew he could sense my emotions, and he let my mood influence him as he opened up and had a good time. He rocked his hips to grind against my back side, and I smiled at his antics.

The DJ kept the music coming as one song flowed into the next and Jasper's body moved in rhythm with mine as we moved like one creature to the influence of the music. Sweat dripped from my body and Jasper's white teeth glinted in the flashing colored lights as the beat pounded through us and moved us.

The coming war in Seattle, Carlisle's reservations about Jasper and his Family, my pending move to the city, the responsibilities I was taking on, all were forgotten for the moment in the sheer exhilaration which swept through my body as we twisted and turned together. We moved together, touching, and then moved apart teasing as I danced with Jasper

My arms coiled lithely as the music led them and I quivered and shuddered with the pounding beat from the speakers. I twisted panting moving to the rhythm of the music in the press of bodies. The music reached deep into the core of my being and I let myself go and have fun with Jasper.

The song ended and Jasper gathered me into his arms and held me close. He leaned down and spoke into my ear.

"Are you ready for a break, Alice? I realize I've been neglecting you. You need to eat, and you skipped lunch and dinner. Aren't you getting hungry?"

I realized I was famished when Jasper asked, but I was having fun, and didn't want to leave yet.

"Yes, I'm hungry, but I don't want to leave. This is so much fun. I'll be alright."

"C'mon, let's sit down for a bit, and we can have something sent up for you."

"Ok," Jasper led me back to the booth we'd sat at earlier where I'd left my clutch. The booth was still empty, and I slid back into my seat as Jasper called the waitress back over.

"Hey, Major, Cutting loose a little tonight, huh? You looked good out there. What can I get for you and your friend?" the waitress said as she walked up to our booth and stood there with her pad in her hand.

"Another round, Denise, and we need to have something sent up from the kitchen for Alice. What can I get for you darlin?" Jasper asked as he turned to me.

"What are they still serving at this time of night? What would you find least offensive? I don't want to be a bother or cause any problems."

"Order whatever you feel like having, sugar. What sense does it make to own a restaurant if we can't order what we want when we want."

"Umm… How about a club sandwich and a green salad with French dressing? And bring me glass of ice water with that, please."

"Sure, Alice, It's no problem. I'll call this down to the kitchen." She walked back to the bar with our order, and was back in a minute with our drinks. She set Jasper's bourbon and another tequila for me on cocktail napkins. Then she set down a tall glass of ice water next to it.

I was sitting there sipping my ice water when Emmett came over to our table. He smiled warmly at me, and then leaned down to whisper in Jasper's ear. Jasper glanced at me for a second, and then looked up at Emmett.

"Ok, bring him over and I'll introduce him."

"What's going on Jazz?" I asked.

"An important visitor has arrived, and he'd like to meet you. Be careful and don't mention any of our plans."

I nodded and looked past Jasper to see who was coming. Emmett was escorting a trio of people over to our table.

The figure in front looked like a boy or young man of about seventeen or eighteen. He had a slight build, not muscular but well defined. He was very handsome but didn't have the dazzling ethereal beauty I had come to associate with vampires. His straight shoulder length hair was a startlingly shiny black. I was studying him intently, but I was astonished to realize he was looking back at me with piercing blue eyes. He was wearing an expensive tailored suit, but the cut looked odd like a styling from an earlier era that didn't quite match more modern fashions. He was wearing a dark black cloak over his suit, but the hood was thrown back and it was open down the front. It was almost like he wore it more as a badge of authority than a necessary accessory.

The crowd parted easily before him as people moved out of his path when they realized he was moving towards them. His two companions, no not companions but guards I realized, followed silently behind discretely watching the crowd as the party moved toward our table. The two guards were big burly brutes with pale complexions, orange hued eyes with flecks of red in them and the startling good looks that identified them as vampires. They were both wearing dark gray cloaks that were almost black, and their wary eyes constantly searched the room and the crowd for the slightest sign of danger.

Jasper stood up when they reached our table and one of the guards stepped forward. Jasper opened his coat and slowly reached inside and then handed his pistol to the guard, butt first. The guard looked him over closely, and I saw his nostrils flare, but he never touched Jasper. He seemed satisfied and then stepped back to stand at the edge of the booth. The other guard took up a position at the other edge of the booth, and then the young man in black stepped in front of Jasper.

"Hello Major Whitlock, It's really been to long since we've had a chance to sit down and talk. I heard you had taken a mate, but then I was in the club tonight, and I realized she was still human and I was intrigued. I was hoping that you might introduce me"

"Certainly, I'd be honored to introduce you to my mate."

Jasper reached out for my hand, and I took it and slid out of the booth. I knew Jasper was putting on a good show, but I could feel that he was less than honored that this was happening, and I could read the tension in his stance.

"Alice Cullen, I'd like to introduce you to Darius Giordani. Darius, this is my mate, Alice Cullen."

I reached out to shake his hand, but he gently clasped my fingers firmly and bent over to lightly press his lips to the back of my hand just above my knuckles. A little thrill ran through me at the old world display of courtesy, and I heard and felt a low rumble pass through Jaspers chest as he stood close behind me with his hand around my waist. I was surprised at how warm Darius's hand was, almost as though he was running a fever, but his complexion was pale, and his soft lips were hot and rosy pink.

"Hello Darius, it's a pleasure to meet you. Will you join us for a while," and I indicated the seat on the opposite side of the booth.

"I'd enjoy that very much, thank you." He sat down and slid into the booth.

I sat back down, and then Jasper sat back down next to me. I was just getting comfortable, when Denise came back with my sandwich and salad. She stopped a couple of steps back from the table and looked at the guards. The one next to Jasper nodded, and she approached the table and set my food in front of me. Then she turned to look at Darius expectantly.

"Can I bring you anything from the bar, Sir," She asked.

"Certainly, dear, please bring me whatever the Major is drinking, and bring another round for the table as well."

I hadn't even started on my last drink yet, but I felt it was prudent not to protest at this point until I learned more about our guest. The club sandwich was cut into quarters, and I picked up a piece of the sandwich and started to eat it.

"Please excuse me for intruding on your evening together, but unions such as yours have always intrigued me, and I find the opportunities that they pose so exciting to consider. Tell me Major, have you made any decisions yet about when and how you will share your immortality with young Alice here?"

"No, we haven't made any particular plans yet, but I'm assuming we'll be waiting for a while yet. We have a lot of arrangements to make to insure that we don't endanger the secret of our existence. We can't simply make Alice disappear. She is quite prominent in certain circles."

"Yes, of course. I'll leave the details of the logistics as a private matter for your Clan. I was more curious if you'd discussed certain family planning aspects of your relationship with your mate."

"No," I said. "We haven't had an opportunity to really go into any detail on that subject yet, but I'm curious. Why are you so intrigued by what we're planning on doing together in our private life? I don't see why our relationship is any of your business, but then I guess I don't really know anything about you Darius. I don't think you're a vampire, but then you're not quite human either, are you?"

"She doesn't even know what I am, Major. You two do have a lot to talk about, don't you? Please excuse me for being so forward, Alice. I didn't know how little the Major had explained to you yet." Darius said as he glanced at Jasper, and then he turned back to me.

"No, Alice, I am not fully vampire or fully human either for that matter. My father is Marcus of the Volturi, and my mother was Didyme, my uncle Aro's sister. She was human when I was conceived, but she was turned to become a vampire upon the instant of my birth. It was the only way she could survive."

"That's amazing. I've never heard of anything like this before. You seem very human, but you're immortal like a vampire. What other characteristics do you share with each species?"

"Jasper didn't tell you that somebody like me was a possibility for the two of you? Generally, beings such as myself are very rare in our world."

"We haven't had an opportunity to discuss everything yet. He did tell me I could get pregnant if we weren't careful, but I hadn't considered all of the implications yet."

"I can enlighten you on some of the specifics if you'd like, or I can leave that as a private matter between the two of you if you'd prefer not to discuss it with me."

I glanced at Jasper, and he didn't seem upset. Possibly resigned to the fact that I was going to find out about this, but he just smiled back at me and squeezed my hand warmly.

"Please, I'm intrigued by the possibility. I'd like to hear more about you."

"Alright then. I was born almost three thousand years ago, when my mother was still human. She was bonded to my father, Marcus, as his mate while she was still human and they decided to wait until she was delivered of the child that they had conceived before she was turned. She almost died when I was born. Children like me do not undergo a normal delivery like a human baby. If the child is not taken from the mother's womb in time, they use their teeth to tear their way out."

I blanched at the description, and suddenly I was no longer hungry. I picked up my tequila and took a healthy swallow to try and settle my nerves. I felt a wave of calm flow through me, and I reached over and held Jasper's hand again as I leaned into him for support.

"I'm sorry Alice. I don't mean to upset you. I'll stop if you don't want me to go on."

"No, please I need to hear this. Please continue."

"Alright then. My mother survived the delivery as a vampire. My father, Aro, Sulpicia, Caius, and Athenodora were hard pressed to get enough venom into my mother's system fast enough to save her, but they succeeded. Children like me grow rapidly. I was as I am now by the age of seven years, and I have not aged since then."

"Your hands were warm. Warmer than a humans, and your eyes are blue, what else is different?"

"Yes, my body produces heat like a human, because my heart beats and pumps blood through my veins. My skin is almost as tough as a vampires, but I can be cut more easily. I heal as fast as a vampire, and I share their immunity to disease. My senses are more enhanced than a human, but not as powerful as a vampires. I can move like a vampire in bursts, but I tire out. When I was younger I slept like a human, but the requirement waned as I grew older, and I haven't felt the need for sleep for almost a thousand years now."

"That's truly amazing. It's like getting the best of both worlds."

"Some would disagree, but I suppose I can't complain. I'm surprised you haven't asked me the most important question."

"And that would be?"

"Usually it's the first question I hear. Aren't you even curious about my diet?"

"Ok," I chuckled, "what do you eat?"

Darius leaned across the table conspiratorially, and crooked his finger beckoningly to me so I'd lean closer to him. I leaned across the table to share the secret with him.

"Little girls," he said with a grin on his face and then licked his lips.

Jasper growled as Darius flirted with me, and the guards glared at him warily. I sat back against the seat and squeezed Jasper's hand to reassure him before things got too serious.

"Not this little girl. Seriously, though, I am curious. Is you diet more like a vampires or a humans?"

"Ok, Alice, I'll play nice. I suppose my parents spoiled me as a child. They didn't make me eat my vegetables." He smirked at me, but then sighed and went on when I didn't react.

"My diet was the same as my parents for many centuries, but I can eat many human foods as well. I am not limited to a liquid diet and I can metabolize solid food. I could probably share your sandwich with you if we were so inclined, although the carbohydrates in the bread aren't very palatable to me. Meats, most proteins in fact are ok. Raw meat is actually rather more appetizing than cooked to me, but I suppose that has something to do with the affinity for blood. Surprisingly, a lot of different fruit is appetizing too, although most of the citrus fruits rank up there with carbohydrates."

"So, can you survive on human food alone, or do you need blood?"

"I don't really know. I tried to see how long I could go once, but I only lasted a couple of months before I cheated. I heard stories about a girl like me in Eastern Europe once that lived like that for years, maybe decades even, but I never found her to ask her first hand."

"So there are more like you?"

"Yes, I'm hardly unique. We're very rare, but we exist. We share a special place in the vampire world."

"Ok, you've got me. Why are you so rare and why are you special apart from your rarity?"

"Well, to begin with, a child like me can only be conceived by a mated pair when the vampire is male and the human partner is female. There was a vampire in South America that created several half vampires with different human partners, but it turns out that was an ability that unique to him alone. Every other child like me has been born to a mated pair."

"Ok, that explains why you're rare, why are you special?"

"You know that some vampires have a special ability that manifests when they're turned."

"Yes, I've heard of that."

"Every half vampire that has ever been born has had a special ability."

"So you're saying that you have an ability. Are you going to make me guess?"

"No, after three thousand years it's hardly a secret. I have the ability to sense the emotional connections between people that join them together like my father. I and sense the connections between mates and their relative strength. I also share an ability similar to the good Major here, although the ability I inherited from my mother is more limited. My mother could broadcast happiness and joy to all around her and make people happy. My ability is the opposite. I can broadcast sorrow and emotional pain, but don't worry. I don't do that much. Half vampires are physically weaker, but our abilities are almost always more powerful than regular vampires."

"This is all amazing, but why are you really telling me all of this?"

"Your union with Major Whitlock presents an extremely rare opportunity. Should the two of you so desire, it would likely be possible that you could indeed become pregnant and have a half vampire child. There is also another reason that you might want to consider. I told you I can sense the connections between people. The connection that you share with the Major is very strong, but it will only grow stronger when you are turned. You're aware of what happens to a vampire when their mate dies?"

"Yes, I know. They go insane and either suicide or sometimes they'll channel their rage into an endless vendetta of revenge to hunt down those responsible, but it's really just another form of suicide."

"Yeah, that's usually what happens. Most of the time. You know, my mother was assassinated almost two thousand years ago, but my father is still part of the ruling council of my Clan. He didn't go insane or suicide. Are you curious why?"

"I don't know. Is he special like that? Is it something he can do?"

"No, it's not him. I guess you could say it's me. You see, even though we lost my mother, the bond my father shares with me was strong enough to let him go on because he still had me in his life. Instead of a pair, it was the three of us, and when he lost Didyme, the two of us were able to go on. I just thought it was something you might want to think about."

We chatted with Darius for a little bit longer, but then he took his leave and left us in the booth together. I saw him heading down the hallway back into the privacy rooms with one of the human girls a little while after that, and his guards stayed in the anteroom at the security desk to wait for him. I had a lot to think about after everything he'd told me tonight. I sat and ate my late dinner as I considered the possibilities.

I'd never really ever given any thought to having kids or being a mother. I'd blocked my own childhood out of my memories and it was going to stay locked firmly away. Hopefully those memories would be burned out of existence with the fiery venom of the change. As far as I was concerned, my life started when Carlisle and Elizabeth adopted me. At first my focus was the revenge that had consumed me. When I was past that I had lived for the future, but I realized I had been viewing the future through a kind of tunnel vision as I single mindedly focused on the path that would lead me to Jasper.

There could be more if I wanted it. I had Jasper now, and I could have more if I was willing to reach out and take it. There could be a baby in our life, and that act of love, the creation of a new life could be my insurance to protect Jasper if anything ever happened to me. I would do anything to keep Jasper safe, and if having a baby increased his chances for survival, then it was something I had to do.

"Jasper, would you want a child if something like that was possible for us?"

"To be honest, Alice, I haven't truly given the idea much thought."

"If you hadn't given it any thought, then why did you tell me you had to wear a condom so I wouldn't get pregnant?"

"I didn't say I hadn't given it any thought. I said I hadn't given it much thought. I knew you could get pregnant, but I hadn't given the idea of a child much thought. I was more concerned with keeping you safe."

"You're avoiding the question. Would you want a child if we got pregnant?"

"Yes, if 'we' got pregnant, I would want the child, and I'd love it as dearly as its mother, but that's not going to happen. It's too dangerous, and we're going to practice safe sex until we're ready to change you."

"Don't you think that's a decision we should make together?"

"Darius only told you the parts he wanted you to know. He has ulterior motives and his own agenda. To begin with, one fact that he failed to mention is the survival rate for the mothers of those half vampire children. Only about one in three of the mothers survive the birth of the child. Darius's case is more the exception than the rule because his mother survived his birth. I'm not willing to trade your life for a child, Alice."

"Ok, that could be a problem. Dead is never a good thing. What else did he leave out, and what do you mean that he has ulterior motives and his own agenda?"

"Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Yes, if it affects our decision."

"When you're pregnant with a half vampire child its vampire nature needs to be addressed. The child will crave blood, and you'd have to drink blood while you're still human to satisfy the child's needs."

"Eww! That's gross! Would I have to drink blood for the whole nine months?"

"This kind of pregnancy doesn't take nine months. I know they take a lot less time, but you should talk to Rose for the details. She's done a bunch of research on the topic."

"Ok, I'll talk to Rose about it. What did you mean that Darius has ulterior motives and his own agenda?"

"He's hoping we have a daughter if we have a child. He didn't elaborate on his own mating habits, but I've heard the stories. He's never found another half vampire female to try and breed with. He told you about the girl in Eastern Europe. She died before he could track her down. He spent decades in South America looking for the half vampires that are supposed to live in the jungles there, but he never found them."

"Why is he so desperate to find a half vampire girl?"

"He can mate with human women, but all of his children have been human. Some have been turned, and he keeps in touch with some of them. Female vampires can't bear children. He has this idea that if he mates with another half vampire that they will be like him, and have abilities like him. If we had a child, and it was a girl, he'd be chasing her for the next thousand years, and he has the weight of the Volturi to back him up."

"Just because some guy might have a thing for our daughter someday isn't a good reason for us to not want to have a child, Jasper. Every human father has to worry about that someday if they have daughters. We need to think about what's right for us. The death thing is a bigger concern for me, but I'll tell you right now that I'm going to research this and talk to Rose before we make a decision."

"Do your research, Alice, but I'll tell you right now, I won't put you in any danger, and I won't trade your life for a baby."

I finished my sandwich and salad, and one of the tequilas. I dragged Jasper back out onto the dance floor again, and we danced through another set of dance music. Jasper talked to the DJ, and he played some slow romantic songs for him. Jasper seemed to enjoy this more because he could hold me close in his arms as we swayed to the music. I laid my head on his chest and let him wrap his arms around me.

Edward and Bella came back into the club while we were dancing, and joined us on the dance floor. The romantic set ended, and we went back to the booth to talk. Edward and Bella told us about the discussion that they'd had with Carlisle and Esme and the plans that they had made.

"You're not going to be able to stay in Forks until graduation," I told Edward. "You should be able to finish this school year, but you'll need to relocate sometime during summer vacation. If you really want to wait until after graduation, then we'll get you setup in a safe house so you can finish senior year someplace. You'll probably be someplace in Illinois or Iowa depending on what we can get setup."

"Bella and I will have to discuss this now that we have a better idea what the plan is."

"We're gonna need you guys to run some ops for us in Chicago." Jasper said. "You can fly in and out for some weekend trips, but you're going to need to get going on your crew, Bella, so you have some backup and people to run leg work for you while you're in school."

"Ok, Jasper. I have some prospects I want to interview. We'll be ready when you need us."

We talked some more, and Bella discussed her prospects for her crew with Edward and Jasper. We had another round of drinks, and then decided to call it a night. All of us knew that just meant couples alone time, but we didn't have much planned for Sunday before we drove back to Forks tomorrow night.

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i

_Knock, Knock, Knock… _

Jesus Christ! Who in the hell was banging on our door at this hour in the morning?

I stretched, and then sat up in bed as awareness returned and I was rudely jarred awake from my deep peaceful sleep by the banging on the door. Jasper was sitting on the edge of the bed pulling on his pants. Then he got up and went to the door.

"Who is it, Jazz?" I asked groggily, as I sat up in bed awake, while rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

I pulled the covers up to my chin to cover myself as somebody stepped through the door into the living room.

"This had better be good, Edward." Jasper said. "Alice was asleep, and it's been a short night."

"I need your help, Jasper. Bella was gone, and I'm not sure where she went. I got a phone call from Katy's mom. Katy's disappeared and nobody's seen her since yesterday afternoon. I need to find her, Jasper. If anything happens to her, it's my fault."

"Ok, Edward. Bella is down in the club interviewing prospects for her crew. Give me a minute to get dressed, and we'll go down to the security office and see what we can figure out."

"Thanks, Jasper, I'm sorry to be so much trouble."

"Don't worry, this is what I do. Why don't you get a drink while I get dressed?"

"Ok."

Edward disappeared into the living room and I heard glasses clink. I got out of bed and went to the dresser and started to get dressed.

"Alice, why don't you go back to bed? You haven't had much sleep tonight. This shouldn't take too long."

"No, I'm coming with you. Edward will need me. C'mon, let's go."

We walked out into the living room, and Edward was pacing in front of the bar.

"Come on, Edward, Let's go downstairs and see what we can figure out." Jasper said.

"Alright." Edward said.

"Have you tried to call Katy's cell phone?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, but she won't pick up. It just keeps going to voice mail."

"Ok. There are a couple of things we can try. Does she have a GPS in her phone?"

"I don't know for sure. It's a newer phone, so it might."

We were on the club level now, and then we were hurrying through the club. Bella was seated at a table talking to a couple of vampires. The girl looked too young. Maybe fifteen or sixteen, slender with shoulder length dark hair. The male looked about seventeen or eighteen and had a slightly Hispanic cast to his pale features. His black hair was cropped short in a military style crew cut. Bella looked up at us we came into the room and kept going. She excused herself and came over to follow us to see what we were doing.

"What's going on, Edward? Where are you going? I thought you'd still be asleep."

"Katy's mother called me. Katy has disappeared, and Jasper said he'd take me down to the security office to see what we can figure out."

"Ok. Maybe she's gone and solved all of our problems for us."

"I still care about Katy, Bella. I love you, and we're together now, but if anything happens to Katy it's my fault. I don't want her to get hurt because of me. I need to help her if I can."

We had left the Club room, and took the other elevator up a level to the offices. Jasper led us down the hall, and we went into a slightly darkened room. There were computers on the desks and tables, and it looked like a crime lab like you'd see on TV. Like something out of CSI or NCIS. There were a couple of guys in the room dressed in the standard issue black suit that all the security team seemed to wear.

"Robert, have there been any notifications of sanctioned hits on the Volturi news feed?"

"Not in Seattle, Major. It's been a quiet night so far."

"Ok, thanks. Well, the Volturi haven't sanctioned a hit on Katy, or it would have been on the news feed out of Volterra. Let me see your phone, Edward."

Edward still had the phone in his hand, and handed it to Jasper. He quickly opened it, and scrolled through the contacts to Katy's cell number.

"Robert, see if you can get a trace on this cell number." Jasper handed the phone to him. "It keeps going to voice mail when we call it."

"Right, let me check it out." He was busy for a minute, and then turned back to Jasper. "Ok, I got it, but you're not doing to like this."

"Just put it on the screen, Robert."

A map of Seattle appeared on the big flat screen on the wall, and then a flashing dot appeared on the screen.

"That dot is where the GPS in the phone is pinging back from."

"Shit!" Jasper swore.

Edward stepped closer and looked at the map.

"That's not too far from here. We need to go check it out and see if Katy is ok."

The dot was flashing on the map a couple of blocks east of Quest Field. West of the I-5 freeway, about half a dozen blocks south of China Town in the International District.

"That's Fu turf, Edward," Jasper said. "If we go in there, we're fair game. The Fu's haven't done anything to us to provoke us. We'll be in the wrong if we get caught in there."

"I've got to check this out. I'm not abandoning Katy. This is my fault. I have to find her."

"Edward," Bella said, "that's about three blocks from The Mandarin Garden Tea Room. That's Fu Chang Hong's headquarters. Are you sure this is worth it?"

"I have to do this. Katy wouldn't even be involved in any of this if I'd kept my mouth shut. I have to fix this if I can. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. I'll handle this on my own."

"You've gotta let go, Edward," Bella said. "You made your choice, now live with it. You knew something like this was going to happen. You're with me now. You can't keep chasing after Katy to save her. Forget this and stay here with me."

"I can't do that, Bella. I love you, but I have to do this. You don't have to help me. I understand." Edward turned to Jasper. "Just take me down to the street level, and I'll call a cab."

"No, you're not going alone." I said. "We need you alive. Jazz, go with him. We need to end this."

"Are you sure, Alice?" Jasper asked.

"We need closure on this issue so we can move forward. It'll be ok. Take Emmett and some of your boys and end this. Go do what you're good at."

Jasper looked at me, and then nodded.

"Come on, Edward. Let's go. Robert, call Emmett and McKenzie, and tell them to meet us in the garage. We've got a job."

"Yes, Sir, Major."

Edward turned to Bella. "I'm sorry. I have to do this…"

"Go on, finish this. Come find me if you're still alive when this is done. We need to talk."

Edward nodded and followed Jasper and Robert out of the room.


	17. Complications

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **KPOV (Katy), Yes, everyone's favorite human makes a guest appearance. EPOV (Edward), Edward continues the story, again.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

This chapter contains **graphic descriptions of violence**. You've been warned.

Please note: There is a POV change about half way through this chapter. I usually prefer to have each chapter form a single characters POV, but if I did, there would have been a huge cliff hanger, and I felt it was better to continue immediately.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 16 Complications

KPOV (Katy) Early Saturday Morning.

Running always helped to calm my nerves and center me. I had shared my love of running with Edward, and it was what had first attracted me to him. Now Edward was gone but I could still run. Running was all that I had left. Right now I just wanted to run to clear my head.

I had been in shock when Michaela got me into her car and drove us to her house last night after the bonfire. I'd cried all the way home from La Push, and probably most of the night while she held me. I'm not sure if I finally ran out of tears, or sheer exhaustion dragged me down into the oblivion of sleep. I was beyond tears now as the numbness settled into my body and I tried to make sense of my new reality.

No, not completely numb I realized as my feet pounded rhythmically on the pavement driving me forward. My mind was numb, and my hands and arms were numb. I knew I was running and moving forward but I couldn't say I truly felt the pavement pounding under my feet. The numbness just masked the pain and I realized it was hard to breathe through the pain that tore at my chest. The place where my heart used to be felt like it had been ripped open and the most vital part of my existence had been torn out and stolen.

I hadn't woken Michaela up when I slipped out of her bedroom at her house. I had a pair of running shoes that I'd packed when I was getting my things together to spend the night at her house after homecoming. I was still wearing the sweats she'd helped me change into last night after we got home from La Push. I truly couldn't say I remembered much that had happened after Edward left me last night. I remembered every word of our conversation with crystal clarity. I was certain that the words of that conversation would haunt me for the rest of my life.

Edward didn't want me anymore. Edward didn't love me anymore. Edward didn't love me…

No!

That was not a part of my reality. That was the blackest of lies, and I knew it wasn't the truth. I could tell when people were lying and I knew when I heard the truth! That made everything worse.

Edward did still love me. He'd told me last night. I'd heard the words from his own lips, and I knew they were the truth, but he didn't want me anymore. That was worse than him not loving me. I could have accepted him falling out of love and moving on with his life with somebody different. I could have accepted that we'd grown apart and he wanted someone other than me in his life, but for him to still love me and not want me anymore was a thousand times worse. I couldn't accept that it was truly over between us if he still loved me.

This was unnatural and wrong. Everything had been perfect between us until Bella Swan came to Forks. She was the cause of my pain. She had stolen Edward's heart from me.

Somehow I had known that something wasn't right almost from the start of this school year. When Edward and I were together and alone our relationship was as strong and loving as it had always been. But then Bella came to Forks. Whenever she was around, it was like Edward was drawn to her like she held some sort of magnetic attraction for him. It was like a moth drawn to a flame, but eventually the moth flies too close and gets burned and dies.

Bella Swan was the alluring mysterious flame that was drawing Edward closer to oblivion, and like the moth, he would surely fly too close and be drawn into the flames. He'd told me as much last night. He was ready to give up his human life and damn his eternal soul to spend his eternity with that creature.

I had always felt that Bella Swan was dangerous, but now I knew why. My mind shied away from the word, but now I knew what she was. It was crazy and insane. Things like this weren't real. They were scary stories that were made up to teach lessons about morality or scare small children. I couldn't believe my ears when I'd heard Jacob and Edward arguing in the woods at the bonfire. Too be honest, I thought they were on drugs and were living out some kind of drug induced fantasy. Then Sam came out of the forest and all of it was true. I tried to wrap my mind around the word…

Vampire.

Bella Swan was a vampire.

Bella Swan was a vampire and she had cast some sort of spell on my Edward to steal his heart away from me. There had to be some way to break her spell and win back Edward's heart! Edward had totally freaked when I asked if driving a stake through her heart would break the spell. Maybe that was what I had to do after all. All the legends I had ever heard said the destroying the monster would break their grip on their hapless victim. I had to do something. I couldn't simply sit idly by and let that creature destroy the man I loved.

The pavement continued to pound rhythmically under my feet as I ran and I set a fast pace that would eat miles. I was only about five blocks from Michaela's house. I'd run past my house but all the lights were off and the street was still dark. The street lights were still on but the light they gave off was faint and tenuous in the lightening pre-dawn glow of early morning. I was passing through a secluded section of road lined with thick trees on either side of the street. It wasn't really forest. There were houses beyond the thick trees on either side of the road. There were more trees ahead of me where the road ended in a tee intersection and turned in either direction. Jessica's house was up the road to the left. Turning right would lead me into town.

Suddenly something cold and hard crashed into me and I was flying sideways across the street. There hadn't been any headlights… Did I get hit by a car? I tried to scream but something cold and immobile was clamped over my mouth locking my jaw closed. I hadn't hit the pavement and I was still moving… Something was carrying me and I struggled to get free. My arms were pinned to my sides by something wrapped around my body that felt cold and hard and solid as an iron band. Escape was impossible as I was held fast in an unbreakable grip. I felt my bladder relax in reaction to the sudden sheer terror of the experience, and I felt a trickle of wetness dampen my panties. Thank god I had gone pee before I left the house for my run or I would have wet myself in reaction to the fear that gripped me and made my heart pound in my chest.

We flashed across the street impossibly fast and then we were flying up into the treetops. My eyes were wide with terror as we flew across the backyard of the house on the corner. I felt the tiniest jar as we silently touched the roof top of the house and then we were flying into the trees on the opposite side of the yard. I panicked and struggled against the iron grip in terror as we flashed through the trees, and then I knew we were beyond the tract of houses and into the forest proper now. It had only been seconds and we were out of town faster than a fast car could have driven.

As abruptly as we had started moving, suddenly we stopped. We were in a small clearing in the trees. There was enough light to see as the dawn broke into the clearing on another overcast Forks morning.

"I'm going to let you go. Please don't run. I'll just have to bring you back, alright?" a woman's voice spoke to me.

I tried to nod but the iron grip on my mouth and jaw held my head immobile. She must have felt the pressure. Suddenly the hands released me and I collapsed in a heap on the ground. I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees on the forest floor. My stomach heaved and I would have thrown up, but I hadn't had any breakfast yet. I hadn't eaten since before the dance yesterday. The bile rose in my throat and I could feel the acid burning my throat as I swallowed convulsively to push it back down into my stomach.

My body was shaking violently with the terror that gripped me but I forced myself to look up and study my abductor. I was startled to see an utterly stunning woman with caramel-colored hair staring back at me with sad eyes. She looked like she was about five foot six inches tall as she stood a couple of feet away from me. She had a heart-shaped face with delicate eyebrows and dimples and her figure was slender but slightly rounded in a motherly sort of way. She gave me the sense of being in the presence of one of the ingénues of the silent movie era, but she radiated youthfulness and beauty. She was dressed simply in a pair of black slacks and a tee shirt. She was wearing a light jacket and black ballet flats.

She couldn't be human, and then I noticed her eyes. I'd wondered about Bella Swans strange yellow eyes, but I looked it up on the internet, and there were people that had yellow eyes. It was rarer than green eyes, but they existed. Now I suspected it had something to do with what she was. This woman's eyes were a strange orange hue shot through with flecks of red. She was inhumanly fast and strong but there was compassion in her eyes as she looked down at me. Then it hit me… I'd seen her before… She was at the football game in Sequim sitting with Bella's friends from Seattle. She was the woman that was dating Edward's father. She'd been at the dance last night…

I had to be looking up at yet another vampire. Had this one brought me here to die? I had a feeling that if she wanted me dead I would already be dead. She had let me go and told me not to run. There was a reason she had brought me here, besides wanting to kill me.

She reached out her hand to help me back up to my feet. I stared at her hand for a minute, and then I reached out and took it. She effortlessly pulled me to my feet with her ice cold hand, and then released me to let me stare at her.

"I thought we needed to have a talk, Katy. Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm Esmeralda Platt, but please call me Esme. I'm Bella's mother for all practical purposes. I took her in shortly before she became like me."

"You're a vampire too. Did you make her like you?"

"No, Bella had an unfortunate accident while she was working for me. She was attacked by one of my clients in the Club I run in Seattle. Bella didn't ask for what happened to her. Few of us do."

"Did you bring me here to kill me?"

"No, dear, if I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Unfortunately, you've learned certain secrets that humans aren't allowed to know. Edward should have been more careful with what he was saying last night. Now your choices are limited if you want to stay alive. I'm assuming that you do indeed wish to continue your current existence?"

"Yes, I've always considered alive to be a good thing. I've grown accustomed to it."

It sounded bolder than I felt, but sarcasm was a coping mechanism that had always served me well in the past. I felt the terror start to relax its grip on my stomach, and I wasn't shaking as violently now. At least she said she wanted to talk and wasn't going to kill me. That had to count for something.

"I can see why Edward likes you. Last night, Edward told you to be careful, but he didn't go into enough detail. My world has certain rules, and just like in the human world, there are organizations that enforce the rules. Our most important rule is that humans aren't allowed to learn that we exist. Anyone who does is killed, with certain exceptions."

"What about Edward and Alice? They both know, and it doesn't look like anyone is killing them."

"I told you there were certain exceptions. You can become an exception too if you'd like. First you need to understand how big and important a secret this is. One e-mail, one text message, one conversation over a telephone or cell phone that reveals what you know, and there will be vampires hunting you down to kill you. There are no second chances. They won't stop to explain why. They won't talk to you like I am. You'll simply die, and whoever you told will die too. Chances are they'd probably wipe out the rest of your family too, just to be on the safe side."

"My family too? But they haven't done anything!"

"You know about us. If you tell, they'll assume they know too. Do you understand? One slip up and your life and theirs will end. That's how careful you need to be. I don't think Edward adequately implied the gravity of his blunder last night. By rights, if I was following the letter of the law we wouldn't even be having this conversation. You'd be dead already."

"I understand, buy why are you breaking your rules for me then?"

"Because Edward doesn't want you to be hurt because of his error. If he'd kept his mouth shut like he was supposed to, you wouldn't have learned our secrets, and you could have gone on with your human life oblivious to the darker realities that surround you. Eventually you would have found happiness again without him."

My breath hissed through my teeth as I took a sharp breath, and the pain ripped through my chest at the thought of going on with my life without Edward in it.

"Alice and I both agreed that if we didn't step in and handle this situation, you'd end up coming to the attention of our enforcement agency, and then you'd die. Of course then we'd be implicated for allowing you to learn the secret in the first place and there'd be consequences for us because we didn't take steps to deal with you ourselves."

"So this is you taking steps to deal with the situation. You said I could become an exception to the rules. How does that work? Why are Edward and Alice safe?"

"You have three rather simple options, Katy. You can become a vampire, at which point you're no longer my worry and you'd be subject to the same rules as all of the rest of us…"

"You want to make me a monster like you and Bella?" I exclaimed, appalled. Maybe I should have run and just let her kill me.

"Three options, dear, let me finish and then you can think about it. The second option might be more appealing to you. There are humans that work for us. I told you I ran a Club in Seattle. Bella worked for me when she was human. We allow these humans to live because they're bonded and registered with our enforcement agency."

"How does that work?"

"It's a simple process really. All you have to do is give your oath that you won't reveal our secrets to anyone that doesn't already know. Of course we have people that would know if you were lying, and you'd be monitored by our enforcement agency. As long as you promise not to reveal the secret, and you're telling the truth, then you're safe. It's actually a pretty good deal for the people that work for us. If you're planning on continuing your education, and going on to college, we could help with your tuition if you decided you wanted to come to work for us."

"Would I have to go to work for you then?"

"Probably, yes, at least for a number of years. You wouldn't have to work for me if you didn't want too. There are other Clubs, but we'd want you where we could keep an eye on you for a while to make sure we could trust you. You could work at one of the Clubs while you're going to school. You'd need to justify our trust in you, but then you'd be free to lead a normal life if you wanted to as long as you maintained the secret."

"What do these human's that work for you in your club do? What would I have to do?"

"Some of them are waitresses and hostesses. Most of them satisfy the needs of our clients."

"Satisfy the needs of your clients…? What like a hooker or something! What kind of Club do you run?"

"No, it's not like that at all, at least not in a sexual capacity. Some of my girls do form special attachments to some of my clients, but that's strictly personal, not business. Actually, we satisfy another need. We are vampires after all, and although animal blood provides our primary sustenance, we retain other appetites. Think of it as a position as a professional blood donor."

"Eww, that's just sick!"

"That depends on your point of view, dear. Besides, it can be an extremely lucrative career. Most of my clients tip rather well. With a proper investment portfolio, you could graduate from college after basically a free ride and then retire to enjoy life living off of the revenue generated from investing your tips."

"Alright, and the third option?"

"I think you already know what the third option is."

"Right, you kill me to shut me up." Esme nodded. "So why are Edward and Alice safe?"

"I think you already know that too. Edward and Alice have joined the family that I'm a member of, and eventually they'll become like me. Edward is safe because of the connection that he shares with Bella…"

Another sharp breath hissed through my teeth as the pain ripped through my chest again at the thought of Edward and Bella together. I wrapped my arms around my chest to try and hold myself together as I felt the hole in my chest ripped back open. This was real and I was forced to contemplate going on with my life without Edward.

"How can Edward be doing this to me! He still loves me! I know he does… I can tell when people are lying, like those people that you say work for you! He told me he still loves me, but he can't be with me anymore because of Bella! What kind of spell has that witch cast on him to steal him away from me? Tell me what I have to do to get Edward back!"

"It's not a spell Katy, although there are some that think it's a kind of magic. I know this is painful for you, but Edward and Bella are meant to be together. Edward is Bella's mate. That might not mean anything to you, and I know it's hard to understand, but it's real. Neither of them have any power to withstand the mating bond. They're soul mates. When a vampire finds their mate it, it changes them permanently and forges a connection to the soul of their lover."

"His lover? He wants to be with that… that creature? How can he do this to us when he still loves me?"

"I understand that you're the girl that owned Edward's heart, and he's been fighting his attraction to Bella because of that. If you truly love him, you have to let him go now. Bella is the girl that owns his soul. You'll only cause him more pain if he can't commit his heart to her too. You're still human, Katy. You can move on with your life. Edward and Bella don't have that option. They're mated now, and the bond is sealed. It would kill both of them if anything happened to either of them now."

"I don't know if I can do that, Esme. Edward is everything to me. I gave him everything I had to give. He's my life. He was always my future… It literally feels like the heart has been ripped out of my chest, and Edward still has it with him… How can you ask me to go on without him? How can I go on without my heart?"

"I'm truly sorry you have to go through this, dear. It'll never completely heal, but it will get easier in time."

"How can you say that? How can you possibly know what I'm going through? You aren't even human! Can you even feel what I'm going through?"

"I'm sorry for your pain, Katy. I was human once, and I know what loss feels like. I was a mother once, and I held my baby boy in my arms as the fever took him and the life drained out of him. So yes, I have an Idea of what you're feeling. It's been nearly 95 years since I lost my little boy, and I can still feel the ache in my heart for him, but I learned to live with it and go on with my life."

"I'm sorry… I didn't know…"

"I understand, dear, you're in pain, but we have to move on. Now, I gave you the three options to choose from. If you choose to remain human, and give your oath to protect the secret, you have to tell the truth. If you lie, your life is forfeit. In time you'll heal enough to go on with your life."

"If you choose to give up this human existence and choose a life among my kind, I'll see that you're cared for and learn about our rules so you know enough to keep out of trouble. If that is your choice, you should be aware that your human memories will be muddled and dulled. In time they will fade and seem like another person's life. Your pain of loss will be dulled and manageable allowing you to more easily move on. If you're sensible, you'll pick one of those two choices."

"If you choose not to be sensible, the third option will likely come to you without my intervention."

"Do I have to choose right now this instant?"

"No, I'll give you a couple of days to think over your options. I'm going away for the weekend; otherwise I'm staying at the Cullen's house while I'm here in town. I'll come talk to you next week, but I'll expect your decision then. Whether you want to give your oath or decide to become one of us, I'll take you to Seattle and make the arrangements."

"What about my family. What would I tell my parents?"

"If you give your oath, there's no reason why you can't continue to live with them until you leave to go off to college. I believe you know Amanda Dahlke. She went to your high school. She works for us while she's attending The University of Washington. If you choose the first option and become one of us, well distraught girls run away from home all the time. If you choose the third option, it won't really matter to you anymore, will it?"

"I guess not."

"Ok, well you know you need to keep quiet now, and more than your own life hangs in the balance. You've got some things to think about, dear. C'mon, I'll take you back to town now."

She held her arms out to me, but I shied away from her.

"Be sensible now, Katy. You're in the middle of the forest, and you don't really know which way you'd go to get back home, do you? You're not picking the third option already, are you? I can make it quick and painless if that's what you want, but I'm not going to leave you in the middle of the woods to freeze to death."

She was right. I knew I wasn't too terribly far from town, but I'd gotten turned around, and the sun was hidden behind the steel gray overcast. I could wander for hours a half mile from home and still be totally lost out here. I just nodded and stepped closer to Esme.

She swept me up into her arms as though I weighed nothing at all, and then we were blurring through the trees again. We stopped as abruptly as we had erupted into motion, but I didn't fall down when she let me go this time. She held my hand and we stepped out of the trees onto the sidewalk. We were standing next to a fiery red sports car, and Alice Cullen was in the driver seat.

"Would you like a ride back to Michaela's," Alice asked, "or did you want to finish your run?"

My knees were weak, and I felt like I was ready to collapse on the sidewalk. I wasn't going to be running anywhere for a while.

"Drop me off at Michaela's please," I said as I staggered to the passenger door and got into the car.

It was a two seat coupe. Where was Esme going to ride…? I looked around as she stepped into the trees and was gone. It was like she vanished into thin air…

"You knew about this all along, Alice, didn't you? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I've known since before we moved to Forks, Katy. I warned Edward not to fall in love with you for all the good that did. I knew you weren't the one for him from the beginning, but he wouldn't listen to me. Don't tell me you would have listened either, I know better. I'm sorry you have to go through this, but saying something wouldn't have changed anything, except maybe getting us all killed by now."

"How did you know about this before you guys moved here?"

"I'm kind of psychic, Katy. It's what I do."

"Yeah, me too. Knowing the future sounds way cooler than knowing that people are lying to you."

"Not if you can see what's coming, but nobody will listen and you can't change anything. You just know the mistakes that people are going to make ahead of time. I've learned how to try and make changes, and choose a particular path, but the future needs to remain a secret for that to work. It just pisses people off when they know you know what's going to happen, but you won't tell them. Problem is if you tell them, they still make mistakes, just different ones that you haven't seen yet."

Have you seen my future, Alice?"

"Yes."

"What mistakes am I going to make?

"Don't go to Seattle, Katy."

"You know Edward still loves me, Alice."

"Yes, but he love's Bella too, and he's made the bond with her. Their souls are joined together permanently now. He couldn't come back to you, Katy, even if he wanted to. Bella is his future now."

The car stopped in front of Michaela's house. Esme was standing on the curb waiting for us, and she opened my door for me.

"Thanks for being honest with me, Alice." I got out of the car to walk back into the house.

"Think about what we talked about, Katy." Esme said. "We'll talk next week. Ok, dear?" She smiled at me and got into the car and closed the door.

Alice pulled away from the curb, and they drove down the street. I walked back up to Michaela's house and let myself in. Everyone was still asleep. I went back to Michaela's room and got what I needed out of my overnight bag, and then went to her bathroom and took a hot shower. She was still asleep when I went back to her room, and I lay down on the bed beside her.

I'd gone out to go for a run this morning to try and clear my head and think about what to do next, but that hadn't worked out so good. I couldn't tell anyone about this, or I'd be endangering their lives too. I thought about the options Esme had given me.

Become a vampire? No fucking way. There was no chance in heaven or hell that I would willingly accept that option. That was out no matter what, and simply beyond consideration. I'd gladly die before I'd willingly become one of the eternally damned and sacrifice my immortal soul for immortality on earth. But that was what Edward wanted. Would it truly be so bad if it gave me a chance to win him back?

NO!

Maybe if I had Edward back first, then I'd do that for him… But to go through eternity to see him with somebody else and know he loved me but didn't want me? That would be literal hell on earth.

Esme seemed to think that I'd find option two more appealing. True, I'd get to stay human and alive, but Jesus Christ! Wake up and smell the roses, dear! She seriously needed a reality check if she thought I was the type of girl to go in for that sort of thing. She'd mentioned Amanda Dahlke, but I really didn't remember her that clearly. She had graduated the year before I started high school. I recognized the name, but it was a small town.

The prospect was less than appealing, and to be truthful, it scared the piss out of me. That was what Bella had been doing when she worked there as a human, and she was a vampire now because of some accident. Come on! Honestly, promise not to tell anyone about what I knew or what I was doing for a living and volunteer as the special of the week on the menu? I found a four year stint as vampire chow even less appealing than being a vampire myself. Professional blood donor was out.

Of course that brought me to option three. What could I say? I wouldn't willingly choose death, but if I rejected options one and two, didn't that sort of leave option three as the default fall back position?

I would willingly accept any option if I had Edward back. I wanted Edward back so bad I could taste it, but everybody kept saying that it was impossible. There had to be a way to break this bond between Edward and Bella. That brought me back to destroying Bella Swan. Ok, Destroying was a euphemism. I wanted the bitch dead, and if killing her broke the spell, then so much the better.

I needed more information to make a plan. I got up and ran some searches on Michaela's computer, but it was so frustrating. I knew almost all of the information was crap and made up bullshit, but I read through it and followed links to page after page of data. I didn't really think I was learning anything, but it passed the time, and it amazed me that so many people put so much effort into this. I was really just passing time until Michaela woke up. She'd been up late with me last night, and I let her sleep in as I formulated a plan.

Edward never left anything to chance, and he'd been confused about what was going on with Bella Swan for a long time. Edward always did good research and he kept meticulous notes on whatever he was studying. He would have figured things out, and he probably still had all of his research and notes somewhere in his bedroom.

Esme had said that she was going away for the weekend, and she ran a Club in Seattle. I had to assume that was where she was going this weekend. She hadn't been with Edward's dad for very long, and I'd bet she was taking him there to see her Club. Alice had gone to Seattle with Jessica and Angela a couple of weeks back, and Jessica had come home bragging about what a good time she'd had at the night club that Bella took them too. It was probably a good bet that all of them were going to be gone this weekend.

If the house was empty, them I knew how to get into the house so I could search Edward's room for clues. I just had to figure out how to get there. This was going to be dangerous, but I was already on the vampire's hit list. I didn't really want to involve anyone else, but I didn't have a car. I knew my mom wouldn't let me take her car. I didn't want to drag her into this, but I knew Michaela would help me if I asked her.

Michaela finally woke up late that morning, took a shower, and got dressed. We went to the kitchen and had some breakfast, and then went back to her room to hang out.

"Well, you seem like you're feeling better today, Katy. I'm sorry I slept so late. You should have woken me up if you were awake."

"That's ok. I had a lot of thinking to do. I know Edward broke up with me, but I can't believe it's really over. I know he still loves me, but for some weird reason he's attracted to Bella Swan. I don't get it."

"You can't keep waiting for Edward to come back to you Katy. I know you guys were together for like forever, and you thought he was the one, but he's moved on. You've got to let go, and get on with your own life."

"I know… You're probably right. Hey, Michaela, can you do me a favor? If we're really calling this quits, I need to get my stuff that I have over at Edward's house. It's probably best if I get this over with now. Will you drive me over there? I really don't want to go alone, and I don't want Edward or Alice to take me over."

I really didn't like lying to Michaela, but I did still have some things at Edward's house to pick up. If they were there, then I had a legitimate excuse for showing up. If the house was empty, then I could just tell Michaela I was going to go in and look for my things.

"Sure, Katy, when did you want to go?"

"Is now ok? I'd really like to get this over with, or we could go later if you have plans today."

"No, right now is fine. I don't really have any plans, but I was gonna ask you if you wanted to get out of town and do something fun today. You've seemed so depressed lately. We should have a girl's day out, and go shopping or see a movie or something."

"Ok, let's go by Edward's to get my stuff, and then we can go by my house to drop it off and I can tell my mom what we have planned."

I got my things together, and Michaela told her mom we were leaving. We went out to her car, and we drove to Edward's house. The house seemed pretty quiet when we got there, but I walked up on the porch and knocked on the door. Nobody came to answer it. I took a look around, and it looked like all of their cars were still here. The red sports car Alice had been driving this morning was gone, but the Harley, Edward's Volvo, and Carlisle's Lexus were in the garage.

"It doesn't look like anyone is home, Katy. We'll have to come back and try again later."

"Maybe this is a good thing. I really didn't want to confront Edward again this morning, but I just wanted this part over with. I know where they hide the spare key to the back door. I'm just gonna go in and get my stuff, you wait here, and I'll be right back."

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Katy. That's burglary if somebody catches us. We don't have permission to go in there…"

"Well, you wait here, and if anybody comes by, bang on the door like crazy. I'll head out the back door if I hear you knocking, ok?"

"I guess so… Just hurry and get your stuff, and get out so we can get the hell out of here."

I nodded and went around to the back door from the kitchen. I got the spare key that was hidden under a flowerpot on the patio and let myself into the house. The house was quiet and looked empty as I walked into the kitchen. I was pretty sure nobody was home, and I went to the stairs and went up to Edward's room.

The bed was made up, but the room smelled like pure sex when I pushed the door open and stepped inside. I felt a flare of jealousy flash through me and my breath hissed through my teeth as I took a sharp breath at the pain that ripped through my chest. This was a bad idea, coming here. It made everything seem so real and intensified the knowledge that Edward was gone, and he didn't want me anymore.

No, damn it! I had to do this for Edward! I steeled my resolve and moved into the room and quickly collected the few personal items of mine that I knew were here, my excuse for coming here to snoop and look for clues. I knew Edward had a safe in his closet, but he'd never shared the combination with me. Instead I went to his desk, and started to search there. It only took me a couple of minutes, and I hit pay dirt.

I knew Edward's habits, and he always liked to organize his thoughts and got down notes when he was researching something. I found the notebook in the bottom drawer of his desk, and it had all of his notes and research from his study of Bella and vampires in general. I quickly flipped through the notebook, and several of the pages held notes and discussions of various topics where he'd gone back through what he knew about various topics.

One page held a listing of known and suspected vampire run clubs in Seattle, and their addresses, but the listing was kind of old from the date. It didn't say which one in particular Esme ran, or which one Alice and Bella had gone to.

I flipped another couple of pages, and I found what I was looking for. It listed vampire vulnerabilities, and what you had to do to kill them. I was wrong about driving a stake through her heart, but it seems that a large caliber bullet would slow them down long enough to burn them. Apparently you had to disrupt their central nervous system to knock them down. You'd have to get close, or get a lucky shot. Through the eye or the roof of the mouth into the brain, or the spine at the base of the skull would all do the trick. Otherwise an assault rifle on full auto or a machine gun would do enough damage to knock them down long enough to burn them.

I knew what I had to do now. I took the notebook and stuffed it into the backpack I'd laid on the bed and stuffed the rest of my things in on top of it. I walked out of Edward's room and closed the door behind me. I quickly made my way back out of the house and locked the back door. I hid the key again, and then went back around to the front. Michaela was relieved to see me, and we got in the car to leave.

"So, Michaela, where did you want to go shopping today?" I asked as we drove towards my house.

"I don't know, I just wanted to get out of town and do something fun today. We've been so busy with the cross country season, and you've been so depressed about you know who… I just want to do something different today."

"Ok, what do you say we drive to Seattle, and maybe go to the mall? There are movies at Pacific Place, or we could go to the West Lake Center. Port Angeles just doesn't have all that much and I don't feel like just going to Wal-Mart. Let's get out and do this right."

"I don't know, Katy. Seattle is pretty far… That's about a three and a half hour drive. I don't know if my mom will let me go that far if it's just the two of us…"

"Don't tell her that's where we're going. Just say we're driving to Port Angeles or Sequim, and then we can call later and tell them we decided to stay later for dinner too. You're the one that said we should get out and do something different. Seattle is only an hour farther away than Aberdeen, but I really don't feel like shopping at JC Penny or Sears again. Let's go to the big mall."

"I guess so, if you think it'll be alright… I don't like lying to my mom like that about where I am. I guess we can do it this one time…"

I didn't like lying to Michaela like that, but I needed a ride into Seattle if I was going to track down Edward and Bella. I was starting to put together a plan, but it was still sketchy at best. Right now I was flying by the seat of my pants, and making it up as I went. Right now, I just needed to get to Seattle. I'd have to ditch Michaela at the mall, but I could get a cab to take me to the Club to search for Bella once I was in the City. At least Michaela would be safe.

We got to my house, and my dad was working on my mom's car under the carport. We waved hello, and went into the house through the kitchen. Mom was sorting laundry and getting ready to put on a load. We said hello, and then went back to my room. I got my dirty clothes out of my over night bag, and sorted out the things I'd picked up at Edward's house. I took out the notebook, and stuffed it into my purse, but Michaela wasn't paying attention. I told her to call her mom, and I was going to go take my laundry into the kitchen to my mom. She didn't comment when I took my purse with me and pushed the strap over my shoulder before I picked up the dirty clothes. I shut the door on my way out of the room.

I went to the kitchen and dropped off the dirty clothes, and then turned and started back down the hall. I looked back to make sure nobody was watching, and then I walked past my room and went into my parents bedroom. I went to the night stand and opened the bottom drawer, and the steel box was sitting exactly where I knew it would be. I took it out and set it on the bed, and quickly punched in the combination. The lock popped open, and I lifted the lid.

Dad didn't like leaving us home alone unprotected when he was out on the road. I reached into the safe, and took out the .357 Magnum Revolver. The molded rubber grip fit my hand, and I flipped out the cylinder to make sure it was loaded. I'd spent a lot of afternoons with my dad at the shooting range getting familiar with this pistol. Dad said having a gun did you no good if you didn't know how to use it. I knew how to use it, and I was a better shot than dad. I closed the cylinder and made sure the safety was on. I grabbed the two speed loaders out of the safe and then I put the pistol and the extra ammo in my purse. I closed the gun safe and put it back into the drawer, and then went back down the hall to my room.

The bolt action hunting rifle dad took elk hunting or the pump action shot gun with rifled slugs would pack more punch and have more stopping power, but I'd get arrested if I carried one of those down the street in Seattle. Besides, I think Michaela would notice if I got into the car with a rifle. The pistol was concealable, and had enough stopping power to get the job done if I got lucky. Michaela was just hanging up her phone when I walked into the room.

"Ok, we're good to go. What did your mom say?" She asked when I walked into the room.

"I didn't tell her yet, I wanted to see if it was ok with your mom first. C'mon, let's go. You said Port Angeles and Sequim, right?" She nodded and followed me out of the room and back into the kitchen.

"Hey, mom, I'm gonna go shopping with Michaela today. Ok? We'll probably stop to catch a movie and eat out before we come home."

"Ok, Katy. You girls have fun and be safe. Are you going up to Port Angeles?"

"Yeah, we're heading that way."

"Alright, see you tonight."

I gave mom a hug and she seemed surprised, and then we went out the door to leave. Dad was busy with something under the hood, and his hands were greasy. He just waved goodbye, but I didn't get to hug him. If this ended badly, this might be the last time I ever saw them, but I pushed that thought away. I was going to rescue Edward. I wasn't going to let the vampires have him without a fight, and if I had to kick some ass to save the man I loved, then I was ready to bring it on.

We got into Michaela's car and drove north out of town. I hadn't gotten as much sleep as she had last night, and the last twenty-four hours had been kind of traumatic. I nodded off as soon as we were on the highway, and I didn't wake up until we were stopped at the gas station in Sequim. I went to the ladies room to answer natures call, and then I paid for the gas. I had suggested the destination, so I could at least bankroll the road trip.

I took the notebook out of my purse and studied it as we drove to the ferry dock in Kingston on Highway 104. It amazed me that Edward had been able to figure out so much about them. At first I was surprised at the connections to the criminal underworld and organized crime, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. They had to be well practiced at keeping secrets, and they already operated on the fringes of society. What was a little criminal conspiracy thrown in on top of murder and virtual prostitution? So it wasn't sexual, big deal. I suppose selling blood for money wasn't exactly illegal, but it felt like it should be. Using it for transfusions to help the sick and injured was one thing. Using it for a midnight snack was just wrong!

Michaela was quiet as we drove towards the ferry terminal in Kingston. She'd cranked up the radio and just drove, and left me to my own thoughts as I studied the notebook. She waited until we were on the ferry before she said something. I should have realized I wasn't going to be able to hide this from her.

"So, what's the plan, Katy?" Michaela asked me.

"I don't know, did you want to go straight to the mall, or we could check out the Pike Place Market first. Are you hungry? We could get some lunch there…"

"I meant where did you want to start looking for him first? Do you know which one of those clubs we're going to yet?"

"What…? No…"

"C'mon, Katy, I'm your best friend, and I'm not stupid."

"What do you mean…?"

"Why do you have a gun in your purse? Are you going to shoot both of them, or just Edward?"

"NO! I could never hurt Edward. I have to save him. That creature has him under some kind of spell…"

"Ok, so you want to whack Bella. I can see that. How is that going to solve anything, Katy? Is spending the rest of your life in prison really worth it just so Edward isn't with Bella anymore?"

She had a point, and I guess I could have told her the truth, but Michaela still might make it out of this ok if she didn't know about the monsters. I made up something that was close to the truth for her.

"I don't even know if Bella Swan is her real name. Her family is connected to organized crime. She was hiding out in Forks at some kind of safe house. She wants Edward to be part of her syndicate, and she's sucking him in deeper to a life of crime. I have to try and save him. If she dies, they'll probably just cover it up and make her disappear. She's some kind of Mafia Princess, and her Family is at war with the other Families in Seattle. I'm not the only one that wants her dead."

"So you figure if you kill her they'll think it was a hit by a rival family? That might work. Only problem is, you're not a professional hit man. If she's connected, then she probably has guards."

"I didn't say I had this a hundred percent worked out. I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. I don't even know which club to start looking in."

"So when were you gonna tell me? Just something like, 'oh by the way, I just shot the bitch in the can, c'mon let's run like hell'?"

"No… I was gonna ditch you at the mall so you'd be safe, and then take a cab…"

"No fucking way am I letting you go this alone, girlfriend! You're my best friend, and we stick together. Worst case scenario, I'll drive the get away car."

"Michaela, I don't want you to get hurt! If this goes wrong, I'm not going home…"

"Best friends, Katy. Your best friend doesn't show up to school on Monday and say 'gee, you know what Katy did this weekend?' No fucking way, your best friend is sitting next to you in the cell saying 'next time we do it like this...' We hunt the bitch down together, or we can turn around right now and forget about it. If you've got the cojones to pull the trigger on the bitch, then I got your back."

"Alright, thanks Michaela, but if I tell you to run, then fucking run, and don't look back 'til you're back in Forks. Ok?"

"Yeah, maybe, we'll wait and see how this goes down. So which one of those Clubs do we start with?"

"I'm not sure. What do you remember about what Jessica was bragging about when she went to the night club with Bella and Alice?"

"She said some guy was hitting on her, trying to pick her up. How did she describe him? Yeah, she said he was drop dead gorgeous for an Asian guy. What are the names of the clubs, and where are they?"

"I know she said they were in the city close to the malls. There are two clubs that are actually in Seattle, the rest are in the suburbs, but still in the metro area. Looks like the Flying Dutchman Lounge and the Mandarin Garden Tea Room are our best bets."

"The Mandarin Garden Tea Room? Kind of sounds like a place where you'd find a hot Asian guy. Maybe we should start looking there."

"Ok, but first we need to get some lunch, and we can still see a movie and do some shopping. These clubs won't even open until around ten o'clock tonight. Besides, if we try to get in, we can't go dressed like this."

I was in jeans and a tee shirt with my running shoes, and Michaela was dressed about the same. If we were going to try and crash a club tonight, we'd have to look hot to get in without getting carded, unless Michaela had her fake ID with her too.

"Do you have ID to even get in tonight?"

"Of course, never leave home without it. I was the one that got you into that dance club in Port Angeles, remember?"

"Ok, so we eat and then shop. See a movie, and then we'll hit the club tonight and track the bitch down."

"Sounds like a plan."

Yeah, a plan full of holes, and we'd have to improvise as needed. There was so much we didn't know… Maybe I should have waited for them to come back to Forks. I would have been able to find Bella easier there, but she didn't have any enemies hunting her down in Forks. It would be pretty obvious what had happened to her. If I could kill her here, then maybe they'd blame it on their enemies.

We followed the plan. Michaela drove us into the city, and we went to Pike Place first and had lunch and started browsing. We could have gone to the mall to shop, but there were better bargains here, and we'd get whatever we needed to fill in the blanks at the mall. I bought a spray can of WD-40 and a cigarette lighter while Michaela was looking at shoes. It was flammable and would soak into fabric and burn. The bullets would slow a vampire down, but you had to burn them to kill them. The spray can of flammable oil would act like an improvised flame thrower as long as the propellant lasted.

I found a mini-skirt and a cute top in a boutique on First Avenue, and Michaela bought a mini-dress that her mom would have a heart attack over he she saw her wearing it. It was the kind of outfit where you might as well say 'why bother'. It left very little to the imagination. Of course, that was kind of the point. If all the guys were staring at Michaela, then I'd be free to look around.

We went to the mall and shopped to pick up the rest of the accessories we'd need, and then went to the movies to kill some time. We ate dinner after the movie, and then decided to go scout out the club. I had the address from Edward's notebook, and we found the street on the map Michaela had in the glove compartment. I looked like it was in China town in the international district, and I thought it was kind of funny that Edward and Bella would be hanging out in a Chinese restaurant and nightclub. I suppose stranger things could happen, and we had a fifty-fifty chance of being right. If we were wrong, then we'd get the hell out of there and try the other Club.

We found the right street in the neighborhood south of the International District, and we were only a couple of blocks from Quest Field. Michaela circled the block where the restaurant was located, and it looked like an ordinary enough nightclub. It was open now with some early birds heading in to beat the crowd, and a line hadn't even started to form yet. The restaurant was open and had a good crowd, but there was a separate entrance for the Club.

We'd passed a gas station convenience store on our way into the neighborhood, and Michaela circled back around and pulled into the lot and parked. We grabbed the bags we needed to get dressed, and went inside and locked ourselves into the ladies room to change. It took longer to fix our makeup and hair with the limited resources than it did to get dressed. I thought the guy at the cash register eyes were gonna pop out of his head when we came out of the restroom and walked past him out the door.

We put our things in the trunk, and then I double checked our supplies for the night. I had my pistol in my purse where I could get to it easily. The can of WD-40 and the cigarette lighter were in easy reach. I kept Edward's notebook, but I didn't really know why. Maybe for moral support… I kissed the top of the notebook, because it was Edwards, and then was slightly disgusted because it still smelled like Edward's bedroom had this morning. I made sure my fake ID was in my wallet, and my real ID was out of sight. I guess we were as ready as we'd ever be.

Michaela drove us back to the Club, and we found a parking place on a cross street close to the club entrance where the line was forming to get into the club. We got out of the car, and walked across the street to get in line.

"Ok, so we're going in," Michaela said. "What's the plan?"

"Mingle, and act like you're having a good time, but keep your eyes open for anyone you recognize to see if we're in the right place."

"Ok, so who am I looking for, besides Bella?"

"Well, Edward, Alice, or Carlisle Cullen would be good for starters, or Bella Swan would be the jackpot. Do you remember that woman that was at home coming the other night with Edward's dad?"

"Yeah, she was a total fox for an older lady. The one with the caramel colored hair, right?"

"Yeah, that's Esme, Bella's adopted mom. Watch out for her too."

The line was moving along, but it hadn't been super long when we got in it. There was a bouncer up at the door letting people in, and then another guy with a clip board walked down the line checking out the crowd. He stopped next to Michaela and me.

"You girls alone tonight?" He asked.

"Yes, we are. Single and looking for a good time," Michaela piped up.

"Ok, go ahead," and he waved us up to the door.

There were whistles and cat calls from the guys in the line, and we just smiled and waved as we walked up to the door. The bouncer held aside the rope, and we went inside. There was another security guard inside the door, and I was afraid he'd want to look in my purse, but he just checked our ID's and waved us along. I could have sworn I saw his nostrils flare as he inhaled deeply as we walked past, and then it looked Like he was speaking into a lapel microphone clipped to his coat as we walked up to the cashier.

I was shocked and did a double take at first when I looked at the security guard. My first impression was that he looked enough like Sam Uley to be his brother or a close cousin. The guy was huge! He towered over Michaela and me, and must have been close to seven feet tall. He appeared to have long, rounded muscles, but he was wearing a dark suit with no tie and the top couple of buttons undone on his dress shirt. He had copper skin, close cropped black hair, and brown eyes. He had an earphone in his right ear with a small cord running behind his ear and into the collar of his jacket. He looked like he was about twenty-nine or thirty and had a stern expression on his face as he checked ID's inside the door.

I paid the cover charge for both of us, and we walked inside to the club. The lights were dimmed, and there were bright pulsing colored lights keeping time to the beat of the music. There was a DJ cranking out dance music, and the dance floor was crowded. The inside of the lounge was decorated in an oriental theme, with the kind of decorations and accessories that you'd see in a classy Chinese restaurant. There was a bar across one side of the room and cocktail tables in front of it in the lounge area. There were booths along one wall next to the bar. A wide wooden stairway in the center of the room led up to a second level, and an open walkway with a wooden banister circled the room. There were private rooms and lounges on the second level separated with rice paper screens and sliding paper walls.

I leaned into Michaela to speak into her ear. "Head around the club that way," I pointed to indicate a direction, "and I'll go this way. Meet me at the bar, and we'll compare notes."

Michaela nodded, and headed off into the crowd. Half the guy's in the bar were staring at her as she danced away moving to the music as she browsed into the crowd, people watching. I smiled and headed off in the opposite direction. I didn't see anyone I recognized as I wandered through the crowd, looking around. At least half the crowd was Asian, but there were all sorts of people in the multi-ethnic cosmopolitan mix.

I got to the bar, and ordered a couple of beers. I handed one to Michaela when she got there, and we found an empty cocktail table and sat down.

"Any luck?" I asked.

"No, You?"

"Nada."

"Ok, so what next?" Michaela asked.

"Go check out the dance floor, and I'll wait here and see who goes up to the privacy suites on the upper level. Maybe I'll spot someone, or you'll see someone dancing. Meet me back here at the end of the set, unless you see something."

"Sounds like a plan. See ya 'round." Michaela chugged the rest of her beer, and headed off to cruise the dance floor.

I was sitting sipping my beer, surreptitiously scanning the crowd while I kept an eye on who went up and down the stairs. It might have simply been my own paranoia, but it seemed like there were other people around the bar that were watching me. I shrugged it off and kept up my surveillance of the stairs. The majority of the light traffic seemed to be mostly Asian serving girls dressed in kimonos carrying trays of drinks. I'd lost Michaela in the crowd, but I hadn't seen her leave the dance floor.

I'd been watching the stairs for several songs, when one of the sliding wall panels opened, and a man stepped out of a privacy suite. He was about six foot three, and quite muscular with long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. The man was wearing a dark suit with no tie and the top couple of buttons undone on his dark colored dress shirt. He made his way down the stair, and I was surprised when he walked over to my table and sat down. I took a closer look at him in the dim lighting of the club, and my heart started to race as I took in the pale skin of his face. He had eyes like Esme, orange hued shot through with flecks of red, and I knew what he was. His nostrils flared as he inhaled a deep breath, and then he smiled at me.

"Hello, we haven't been introduced. I'm James Witherdale, and who might you be, miss?"

"I'm Katy, Katy Decker. Can I help you with something, James?"

"I was coming over to ask you why you're in our club carrying a gun in your purse, Katy, but now I'm intrigued. You know Bella Swan. Are you a friend of hers?"

"Hardly. Is Bella here tonight?"

James laughed. "No, you won't find Bella Swan here, Katy Decker. So are you a White Hat? Are you hunting Bella?"

"A White Hat? No, I'm not familiar with that term. Should I be?"

"Maybe. You might have lived longer if you'd done a little more research first." A chill ran down my spine, and James leaned in conspiratorially as if to share a secret with me. "They're a human gang that hunts vampires. They're actually a lot of fun sometimes, and they keep us on our toes." Then James sat up and studied me.

"So tell me, how do you know Bella?"

"She stole something from me, and I want it back."

James laughed again. "Yes, that would explain a lot. That must be the strong male scent coming from your purse. I heard that Bella had taken a mate."

I drew in another sharp painful breath through the raw gaping wound in my chest when James mentioned Bella taking a mate. I winced at the pain, and James smirked.

"And that's what my little Bella stole form you, didn't she? This man was your lover before he left you for Bella."

"She cast some sort of spell on him, and lured him away! It's insane! Edward still loves me, but he was drawn to Bella like a moth to a flame!"

"Yes, of course, and now you want revenge. You're so cute, like a kitten trying to claw your way back to your favorite toy, no matter how far out of reach it is. Maybe we should make you a tiger, and then see how you deal with the situation?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it now. You won't find Bella here, Katy. We're the bad guys, and they don't like us."

"Ok, any suggestions where I should look then?"

"Well, I'd send you to the Flying Dutchman Lounge, but you won't make it through the door there with what you have in your purse. Why don't you run along now? I think this is going to be a very interesting night."

"Interesting how?"

"Simple, we'll do what I like best. You run, and I'll chase you."

"What?"

"You like games, don't you? This is one of my favorites. I'll even be sporting and give you a head start. If you make it to the Flying Dutchman, you might get to live. Bella and Edward will be waiting for you there. If I catch you first, then we can have all sorts of fun together. Now doesn't that sound like fun to you?"

"What, are you some kind of sick sadistic monster?"

"Umm… Yes, yes I am. Any other questions?"

I shook my head no as I stared at James with wide eyes.

"Katy…"

"Yes?" I stammered.

"Run!"

James laughed again like he was having the time of his life. He got up and casually walked back to the stairs and walked back up to the private room. There was a woman with long, curly red orange hair that looked like fire waiting for him. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. She possessed a terrible beauty, and looked down at me with fierce anticipation as a smile crossed her lips. James glanced back over his shoulder at me with a smirk, and I could see the feral glint of anticipation in his eye as the corners of his mouth twisted into a grin.

Shit! This was bad! Real bad! Not only had I not found Bella, I had attracted the attention of another vampire, and he didn't seem like the friendly sort like Esme. I was up out of my seat in a flash, and heading for the dance floor to find Michaela. We had to leave now.

I wondered if she might be safer if I just ran on my own. Could I lead them away from her? But no, they'd seen us come in together, and I couldn't just abandon her. She didn't have a clue to what was really going on. I searched the dance floor frantically for Michaela, and then I spotted her dancing with some guy. I pushed my way through the crowd to get to her, and then I grabbed her arm and started to pull her with me.

Thank god, Michaela read the panic in my face and body language and didn't hesitate to follow me as I headed for the door.

"What's wrong, Katy?" Michaela asked as we hurried toward the door.

"This is the wrong place. I just made a big mistake! We've gotta go!"

We made it out the door, and ran across the street towards the car. I was checking behind us, but I didn't see anyone following yet.

"What the hell happened?" Michaela asked as I threw myself into the car and slammed the door shut and locked it. She got in, and was fumbling in her purse for the car keys.

"One of their guys came to talk to me. I think he's one of the bosses. He knew I had a gun, and he figured out I was looking for Bella. This is like some kind of sick game to him, and I think he's after us now. He said he'd give us a head start, but he's gonna chase us."

"Shit, Katy!"

"I know, just try and get to a main road, and head north. We've gotta try and get to the other club. That's where we should have gone. If we can get there, he can't follow us, and we can ditch him."

Michaela floored it, and flew down the street. She whipped the car around the corner at the end of the block, but we were deep in the back streets and alleys of China town. All I really knew was we needed to head north. I could see the I-5 freeway a couple of blocks off to our right, but I had no idea where there was an on ramp. The street came to a tee intersection, and Michaela turned left, heading back toward the club, but Quest Field was that way too and there had to be some main roads leading to it.

A car turned onto the road in front of us, coming at us fast, but Michaela hung a right at the corner heading north again. The car turned the corner and accelerated towards us, and I knew they were following us.

"God damn it, Katy, we're playing right into their hands! They wanted us to run so they could get us away from the club and witnesses! We should have stayed there and called someone! Even if you had to call Edward, at least someone would know where we are and what's going on! We're fucking dead if they catch us now!"

"I'm sorry I got you into this, Michaela."

"I got myself into this. I told you, best friends stick together. Now let's just see if we can get out alive!

The car behind us accelerated fast, and slammed into the back of Michaela's car. She fish tailed wildly in the middle of the street until she got control of the car again. The headlights were coming closer, and they slammed into us again. Michaela swerved, and clipped the fender of a parked car, but she kept control as we flew down the middle of the road.

I was looking through the back window as she drove. "Her they come again!" I screamed as the car accelerated towards us. Michaela was looking in the mirror, and almost missed the car turning into the street in front of us. She screamed and whipped the car out of the way and screeched around the corner taking the right on two wheels.

"Shit! Now we're fucked!" It wasn't a street, and we were flying down an alley in the middle of a block with the backs of buildings on both sides. Suddenly the headlights were glinting off the chain link fence that blocked the end of the alley and we screeched to a stop as she slammed her foot on the brakes. The fence was ten feet tall, and had razor wire across the top. We weren't going to climb it to get out of the alley.

"Go back!" I screamed, but I could already see the headlights following us down the alley blocking our escape.

"Oh shit, this is it."

I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I wasn't going to go down without a fight. I opened my purse and took out my pistol and flipped off the safety.

"Here," I said, and gave Michaela the spray can of WD-40 and the lighter. "You know what to do?"

"Yeah, c'mon, let's ditch the car and see if we can make a run for it on foot." I nodded and I got out following her.

The car was still halfway down the alley advancing slowly, and we started trying the doors on the buildings, but everything was locked up tight. Suddenly I caught a hint of movement and the shape of a man in my peripheral vision. He dropped off the fucking roof top! He was behind me. I didn't even think as I spun raising my arms in a two handed pistol combat grip and fired. The barrel was practically touching his face when the pistol barked with the first shot. I pulled the trigger two more times, and he dropped like a fish flopping on the sand.

"Light him up," I screamed at Michaela, and flame shot from the spray can soaking into his clothes. He stopped flopping after a minute, and the smoke turned a dark purple black color as he burned.

"Why didn't he die, Katy? You shot him three times in the fucking head!" Michaela screamed.

"I'm sorry, Michaela. I thought you still might get out of this alive, but you deserve to know the truth now. These guys aren't exactly human. He was a fucking vampire. Bella's a vampire. That's really why I wanted to kill her. She wants to make Edward a vampire too."

"You're shitting me, right? Fucking vampires? Now you decide to tell me you're going fucking Buffy on the fucking vampire's asses? Jesus fucking Christ! Wasn't it bad enough that they were fucking Mafia crime lords? Now they're fucking vampires too?"

"Shit happens, deal with it. Now you know. I think the car stopped. Here, get behind the dumpster. Maybe the police heard the shots, and they'll come check it out."

"Sorry, no police," James voice echoed out of the shadows. "They're too well paid to harass us down here. We make the rules in this part of town."

"What do you want? Let us go, and we won't tell anyone about this."

"I'm sorry, Katy, I can't do that now. You know too much. You know I can't let you go. You seem rather well informed, though. I think you know the rules. My options are limited."

"Options, what options?" Michaela whispered in my ear.

"It's the only way we're allowed to know that they exist." I whispered back. "Get turned so you're a vampire too, go to work for them as snacks, or take a dirt nap and push up daisies."

"Shit, that's not much of a choice."

"Yeah, my opinion exactly. Looks like we picked door number three."

"You know you aren't making this very fun, Katy," James said. His voice was closer now, but I still couldn't see him. "I was expecting you to get farther than this. Tell me, do you think your Edward will come looking for you when he realizes you're missing?"

"Fuck you! Edward doesn't want me anymore!"

"I would, but Victoria gets jealous. You said Edward still loves you. How do you know that?"

"Come a little closer, and maybe I'll whisper it in your ear." I had the pistol ready. If he got close enough, I'd blow his fucking head off, and Michaela could torch him.

Suddenly there was a blur of motion and the gun was plucked out of my hands. I heard Michaela give a piercing blood curdling scream. There was a meaty sound like flesh impacting on something hard, and the spray can clattered as it dropped to the ground next to my feet. It was worthless without the lighter.

"Ok, let's try this again. I asked you a question. You can be good and give me the answers I want, or we can see just how high a pain threshold your cute little friend here has."

I looked around, and James had Michaela pinned to the wall of the building with his hand on her throat. Her feet were kicking in mid air two feet off the ground while her hands clawed ineffectually at his hand on her throat. Her face was turning red as her eyes started to bulge.

"Oh god! Let her go!"

"I asked you a question. Now tell me how you know Edward still loves you!"

"If I tell you, will you let her go?" Michaela's face was turning purple, and she was clawing at his hand more frantically now.

"Yes."

"I can tell when people are lying. Edward told me he still loves me, and he was telling the truth."

James let go of Michaela, and she collapsed to the ground in a heap, panting for breath. I rushed to her side, and James chuckled as I gathered her into my arms.

"See, that wasn't so difficult, now was it? So you're a truth sayer, or at least you could be if you wanted to be. It'll be interesting to see how that works out."

"Now tell me about this Edward."

"Go to hell! I'm not telling you anything!"

"Katy, Katy, Katy. You have to realize you can't say things like that to me…"

James reached for Michaela, and effortlessly ripped her out of my arms. His hands gripped her arm and there was a sickening snap as his hands flexed. Michaela gave a blood curdling scream of pure agony as he dropped her at my feet. She was looking down in shock. Her left arm was bent in too many places and pointed in the wrong direction. The fore arm was snapped, and I could see the end of her bone protruding through her skin.

"Now, tell me how Edward and Bella met."

"She came to our high school.' I yelled at him as I tried to comfort Michaela. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, as I gathered her back into my arms. "She was a new student this term. Oh my god, Michaela are you alright?" She was hugging her arm to her chest and rocking back and forth as she whimpered in agony.

"You see, that wasn't so difficult. Now where is your high school, Katy?"

"Don't tell him, Katy. He'll follow them there, and more people at home will get hurt!"

James casually reached down and yanked Michaela out of my arms and sent her sprawling on the ground as she screamed. He took another step towards her, and there was another sickening snapping sound as James foot came down on her leg. Michaela screamed again, and James foot had crushed her lower leg just above the ankle as her foot flopped at a strange unnatural angle.

"That's enough out of you. Speak when you're spoken too. Now answer the question Katy."

"Forks, we're from Forks. We go to Forks high school! You didn't have to hurt her! It's on our driver's licenses, and all you had to do was look in our purses!"

"I know, but this is so much more fun. How did you find out that Bella is a vampire?"

"I overheard Edward talking about it with his friend."

"Why did he tell his friend? Did he know he was putting him at risk by revealing the secret?"

"His friend is a werewolf, but I don't think he'd changed yet. He said he deserved to know the truth."

"A fucking werewolf? They're real too?" Michaela exclaimed. I was surprised she was still conscious, but the shock might have been masking the pain as the fight or flight hormones and adrenaline flooded her system.

James looked down at her, and stepped towards her. His foot came down on her other leg, and there was another sickening snapping sound. Michaela gave another blood curdling scream, and James foot shattered her other leg below the knee.

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?"

"Oh my god! Stop hurting her!" I moved closer and tried to comfort her, but I was afraid to move her without doing more damage or causing her more pain. "I'll answer your questions! Just please don't hurt her anymore!

"Of course you will, Katy. So, tell me about Edward's Family. Who does he live with?"

"His father, Carlisle, and his sister, Alice."

"Do they know about vampires too?"

"Yes."

"Why do they know?"

"They all have mates now, too."

"Really, that is interesting news. Who are they?"

"I think Carlisle is with Esme. They were at the dance the other night as chaperones, and she's staying at their house. I think Alice and Jasper are together. Esme said Alice had joined her family. Jasper was going to our school for a while too, but then he left."

"Jasper Whitlock? I heard he had taken a mate, but I didn't realize she was still human. This is interesting valuable information. Maybe she can have an accident… I'll have to think about this. Well, I suppose we should be going now."

"What about Michaela? We have to get her out of here. Oh my god. She's hurt, and needs a doctor! We have to help her! She's in pain!"

"Yes, we'll end her pain."

James reached for me, and ripped my purse off my shoulder. Then he grabbed me and slung me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and held me firmly pinned over his arm. I struggled, but I was held fast by his grip on my ass, and couldn't get away from him. He snapped his fingers, and then three more vampires dropped into the alley from the roof tops. They were all wearing long black coats, but it looked like they were wearing swords under their coats when they dropped to the street.

"Stop! Put me down!" I screamed at his back as I beat at him with my fists, but it had no effect at all.

James turned to the three vampires. "Take care of the girl…" My heart stopped for a second and then raced even faster as terror gripped me. No! He couldn't mean what I thought he meant! My mind blanked out the rest of his instructions as panic tore through me. I had to do something! The three were silent but nodded their assent to James orders.

"No!" I screamed at his back. "You can't do this! Please, help her! I'll do whatever you want!"

James turned to Michaela's car, and set my purse on the hood. He rooted through it for a second, and took something out and tossed it into the car. Then he was striding down the alley with my purse clutched in his hand as he walked back toward the street.

"Oh My God! Michaela I'm so sorry! Please, James, go back! We can't leave her! Michaela…"

I looked back and Michaela was screaming again as the three vampires reached for her. One of them locked his jaws on her throat, and the screams cut off with a wet gurgle. She disappeared under them as the feeding frenzy started… I realized I was screaming at the horror I was witness to, and then mercifully oblivion took me as the world faded into blackness.

EPOV (Edward) POV Change

"_Come on, Edward." Jasper said. "Let's go. Robert, call Emmett and McKenzie, and tell them to meet us in the garage. We've got a job."_

"_Yes, Sir, Major."_

_I turned to Bella. "I'm sorry. I have to do this…"_

"_Go on, finish this. Come find me if you're still alive when this is done. We need to talk."_

_I nodded and followed Jasper and Robert out of the room._

We hurried back through the club, and then took the main elevator back down to the garage level. We stepped out of the elevator car. Jasper led me over to a set of double doors, and used a key to unlock the door. He pushed it open, and we stepped into what appeared to be a well stocked armory.

Jasper walked to a set of tall lockers, and pulled open a door. He reached inside, and pulled out some sort of vest or jacket in dark blue synthetic fabric.

"Here, put this on." It was a bullet proof vest, with some sort of hard inserts inside the fabric across the chest and back.

"Is this necessary? I asked as I opened the vest and figured out how to put it on.

"Yes, it is. Take off your shirt, and put it on first. That's a hard body armor ballistic vest. It should stop anything but a clean shot from special armor piercing ammo, but we see some of that too. We use it, and so do the other Families, but I need to bring you back alive."

"Isn't armor piercing ammo illegal?"

"Yes, it is. What's your point? Most of what we do is illegal."

"Point taken. Ok, how do I adjust this to fit?"

Jasper came over to adjust the vest for me, and then I put my shirt back on.

"Try not to get shot in the head. We can still change you if we have to in an emergency, but head wounds take a long time to heal, and regenerating brain tissue fucks with your memories. As long as your heart keeps beating, we can turn you if we have to. Lose the ticker and its game over."

"I'll try to avoid a head wound then. Any other pointers?"

"You're along as an observer on this trip. If it turns into a fight, keep your head down, and leave the fighting to us. Defend yourself if you have to, but stay out of the fight. You don't have the reflexes or training yet to be anything but a liability."

"Ok. Then why are you helping me?"

"Because Alice asked me too, and I knew you'd go on your own. Just because I respect bravery doesn't mean I accept stupidity. I'm not going to simply leave you home. This is your mess, and you should be involved in cleaning it up, but the Fu's would eat you alive. Literally eat you alive, and I can't afford to lose Bella too."

"So you think things are going to heat up with the other families pretty soon?

"Depends on how much weakness we show. If they think they've got a shot, then they'll make a move. If we kick ass and don't show any weakness, then they'll think twice about hitting us. We'll try to give you as much time as we can, and honor your wishes about when you get changed, but if thing get too dicey, then we may need to move up the schedule. It's too dangerous to our plans if you can still die as easily as any human."

"So this is us being strong and showing that we don't take any shit?"

"Yeah, that's about the size of it. You gotta have some steel in your spine and brass cojones as big as your fist for this business, and you'll do ok. Show weakness, and back down, and it's like blood in the water."

Jasper was collecting his own gear as I put on the vest. He double checked the big automatic combat pistol in the holster under his left armpit. He shrugged into a long dark grey leather trench coat, and then took out a long Japanese style Katana and slid it into a long pocket that was concealed inside of the coat.

Robert was going through similar preparations, and then Emmett and another vampire came into the room and started collecting gear. Jasper handed me one of the long grey coats like the rest were wearing, but I didn't get a sword.

"Hey, Jasper," I asked. "Got any spare clips for this pistol?"

Jasper eyed me judiciously for a minute, and then reached into another locker and handed me a couple of clips. "Glock 20, chambered for 10MM ammo, right?"

"Yeah," I stuck the spare clips in my outside pocket so I could reach them if I needed to reload in a hurry.

Jasper looked around at us and nodded, and then said, "Ok, Emmett, you've got the duty. Robert, you drive. I've got shotgun. Let's roll."

Robert hurried ahead, and I heard a car start. He was sitting in a big black Mercedes sedan with darkly tinted windows. Jasper went around and got into the passenger seat. The other vampire who I assumed was McKenzie got in behind Robert, and Emmett held the back door for me so I could slide into the middle of the back seat.

"The duty?" I asked Emmett as I stepped up to the car.

"Babysitter, I keep you alive, little brother. That's my job. If the shit hits the fan, I get you out."

"Gee, thanks. I feel so special." I slid into the back seat.

"Hey, don't bitch to me. That's something you need to talk over with the little woman. You guys are the ones who want to wait. Just have her give you a little love bite, and then you can come play with the big boys."

The big black sedan drove through the security gates, and then spiraled up out of the underground parking garage onto the streets of Seattle. Our destination was a pulsing dot on the GPS navigation system as we turned south and headed across town. It was very early in the morning; still night really, but the bars and nightclubs were closed now in the quiet hours before dawn.

We were approaching our destination, and I could feel the apprehension in the atmosphere in the car.

"I don't like this, Major," Robert said. "The signal is coming from a dead end alley in the middle of a commercial block. If we go down that alley we could get trapped in there."

"What do you suggest?" Jasper asked.

Robert pointed to the map. "There's a cross street here. We could leave the car, and go on foot. There's only a fence separating the alley from the street."

"Ok, get us close, and then we'll go in on foot. Emmett, bring Edward, but be ready to pull back. Everyone stay sharp. This could be an ambush."

Robert parked the car next to the curb, and I could see the chain link fence cutting off the end of the alley. The doors open and we got out of the car. Five sets of eyes scanned the road looking for any sign of trouble, but I was sure the other saw a lot more than I could have. Jasper nodded toward the alley, and pointed, giving the signal to advance.

Robert and Jasper were over the fence with out breaking stride as they effortlessly leapt the ten foot barrier and moved into the alley. Emmett and I approached, and I felt his arm wrap around me as he soundlessly leapt the fence, and then set me down on the other side. McKenzie was rear guard, and watched up and down the street until we were clear, and then followed us in.

Jasper and Robert had their guns drawn as we advanced down the alley. I could see a car up ahead of us parked in the middle of the alley. Then I recognized the car.

"That's Michaela's Nissan Sentra! She's Katy's best friend."

"There was a fight here. Dead vampire from the look of those ashes," Robert said.

Jasper approached the dumpster, and then reached down and picked something up.

"Gun, Looks like a .357 Magnum Revolver. It's been fired, but there are still three rounds in the cylinder."

"Shit! I think that's the gun Katy's dad kept in the house for self defense. Katy knew how to use it. Her dad was afraid to leave her and her mom unprotected when he was out on the road. Why would she bring a gun to Seattle?"

"Apparently she wanted to shoot someone." Jasper said. "Looks like she took out at least one vampire." He toed a can of WD-40 out into the alley. "She probably used this to toast the pile of ashes back there."

"How the hell did she figure out she had to burn him?" I asked.

"Got a body here, Major." Robert said as he got up closer to the dumpster. "It's in here," and he nodded toward the dumpster.

Jasper nodded, and Robert opened the lid.

"Vampire attack, she's been drained," Jasper said, "Looks like she was tortured first, too. Stay back, Edward, this isn't pretty."

"No way, let me through!" I had to see for myself, and I pushed up to the dumpster and looked inside.

"Oh my god." I was nauseous, and thought I was going to throw up, but I held it together as I stared into Michaela's glassy lifeless eyes. Her face was contorted in a rictus of agony as her broken body lay at an odd angle in the trash bin.

"That's Katy's friend, Michaela." I said, suddenly remorseful at the guilty wave of relief I felt because it wasn't Katy's body I was looking at.

Jasper and Robert were about to move away from the dumpster. There was a staccato burst of automatic weapon fire behind us from the dead end of the alley, and McKenzie went down kicking as his heels drummed on the pavement.

Then everything happened at once. Robert and Jasper dove for cover and returned the fire, but I couldn't see who they were shooting at. Emmett gathered me into his arms blocking me with his body, his back to the end of the alley. We were on the other side of the dumpster in a single lightning fast leap, and then he was pushing me down to duck for cover behind the dumpster.

The gunfire in the alley stopped as soon as there weren't any targets to fire at. It was hardly inconspicuous, and I was sure everyone for two miles or more had to have heard it. Besides, it wasn't like it was going to kill anyone here but me. McKenzie was already stating to stir at the end of the alley, and he'd be back up soon if we could keep the attackers off him until he regenerated.

Now that the surprise of the ambush was gone, the real fight would start. First one figure stepped over the fence, there was a flash of silver, and McKenzie was still again as his head rolled across the alley. Jasper and Robert stepped out of cover, and then Jasper's sword was in his hand as he slowly advanced. A second figure came over the fence, and the two warily advanced on Jasper. Robert was watching his back with his sword out now, and then a third figure dropped off the roof top to face him.

"Go help them!" I told Emmett. "It's three on two! You can even the odds!"

"I've got my orders. I'm supposed to watch you! Jasper will signal if he thinks he needs me. He can take those guys, no sweat. If I left you unprotected, they'd be on you like white on rice."

"Emmett," Jasper called, "get Edward out of here…" Then he came together with the first attacker, and there was a flurry of flashing silver and the clash of steel.

Almost as if on cue, another dark shape dropped into the alley way and charged Emmett and me.

"Shit, stay down, Edward." And then Emmett stepped away to have some room to fight as his sword came out.

I had my pistol out, and I popped off a three round burst at the advancing vampire, but he wasn't distracted like Billy had been in that other fight, and easily dodged the bullets. Then Emmett was too close for me to fire again as they came together in a clash of steel on steel.

I followed my instructions, and stayed down. I knew if I tried to do anything different, I'd just be a liability. I'd be an easy target, and whoever tried to come to my aid would open themselves up to attack.

Jasper was engaged with the first attacker while the second tried to circle behind him, but then suddenly he broke contact, and was driving the second vampire back.

Robert was holding his own against his opponent as he guarded the other end of the alley. He was driving the vampire back, and giving Jasper and Emmett more room to maneuver.

Emmett was keeping the fourth vampire off of me, and for some reason I knew that was his intent. He was supposed to capture me, but they wanted me alive…

Jasper's sword flashed and one of his opponents dropped as his leg came off. He kicked the leg across the alley so he'd stay down, and then was circling in towards the other vampire as he pressed the attack.

Emmett's blade was locked with his opponent, as their wrist came together in a grapple. Then Emmett was reaching in to grab the other vampire. The pavement cracked as Emmett body slammed him against the alley, and I thought he had the upper hand… Ten inches of steel glistening with the yellow honey like fluid were protruding from Emmett's back as he came down on the vampire's sword. Then suddenly their roles were reversed, and Emmett was slamming into the alley. The vampire's sword rose to hack at him… I didn't think. I had to act.

I rose from my crouch behind the dumpster and took a step forward towards the vampires back.

"Dodge this, mother fucker!" and I pulled the trigger three times with the end of the barrel practically nestled in the hollow at the base of his skull.

He dropped like a sack of wet cement and writhed violently on top of Emmett as his central nervous system was disrupted. It wouldn't kill him, but he was down for the count. Emmett shoved him off, and he was getting back up. His sword flashed as he came to his feet. The body stopped jerking as violently as its head rolled away.

I looked down the alley just in time to see Jasper's blade sweep through the neck of his second opponent. He dropped to the ground as his head went flipping away to bounce off the wall with a dull thud. Jasper was turning to help Robert, but then the last vampire broke off and retreated when he realized the odds were three to one now. Well, maybe three and a half. Robert started to follow, but Jasper called him back.

"Let him go. We're not looking for a fight. He can tell his buddies how we kicked their asses. Go check on McKenzie."

Robert nodded and then went back up the alley where McKenzie's body lay. I saw him retrieve his head, and then after a minute it looked like he was moving again.

"What do you want to do with the rest of these guys?" Emmett asked.

"No sense leaving the Fu's any stronger than they already were, and they were trying to kill us, stack up the pieces and get a fire started."

Emmett nodded, and proceeded to systematically dismember the corpse of the vampire in front of us with his sword. I retrieved his head, and added it to the pile, careful not to place it near the severed end of his neck. It was still kind of unnerving how the open eyes followed me and the mouth silently cursed at me. Jasper dragged the other two over, and started adding them to the pile. They were lighting the fire when Robert helped McKenzie down to join us. He was moving on his own again, but he didn't look like he was up for much of a fight about now.

Jasper went to check out Michaela's car, and I followed him over. I opened the passenger door, and looked inside.

"Katy was definitely here," Jasper said. "The three vampire's that attacked us were the ones that killed Michaela, so at least vengeance is served, but that'll be of little comfort to her family. We can't even tell them."

"Here, look at this." I picked up the small metallic pink object off the floor of the car. "This is Katy's cell phone. This was a trap. They left it here so we'd come here to look for her, but where is Katy? Michaela's dead, why didn't they kill her too? Do you think she got away?"

"No, she didn't get away. There's another scent here, Edward, and you're not going to like it."

"Who?"

"James was here. From the trail leading away down the alley, I think he carried Katy off. I think she was still alive."

"We have to go after her! Can you follow the scent?"

"Yeah… Alright, McKenzie, take the girls body and her car, and get back to the tower. We'll have to make this look like an accident later. Robert, get the car and follow my transponder on the GPS. Stay close, and come get us if I signal you. Emmett, are you ok to travel?"

They nodded, and McKenzie went to Michaela's car. The keys were still in the ignition, and he took them and opened the trunk. I looked away as he collected her body and put it in the trunk of her car. Robert ran off down the alley the way we'd come to get the black Mercedes sedan.

"Yeah, no problem, it was just a flesh wound. It's already healed." Emmett said.

"Ok, Bring Edward, and we'll follow this trail, but be careful. Anymore trouble, and we pull back to the tower."

Emmett turned to me. "Thanks for the help back there, Ready to go?"

"No problem, just doing my part. Yeah, c'mon, let's do this."

It was a little embarrassing being carried, but it was the only way I could keep up. I guess it was better being carried by Emmett than by Bella as far as my ego was concerned, but it would have been more fun snuggling up to Bella while we ran.

Jasper seemed to grow more apprehensive the further west and south we traveled. We came out of the alley and crossed the street, and then moved onto the roof tops as we crossed the next block. We sailed across the street without slowing down and crossed the next block. They stopped for a minute and crouched to look down into the street. There was a fancy looking Chinese restaurant across the street, and I assumed that was the rival Family's Club. It looked quiet.

"So is that the place?"

"Yeah, that's the Mandarin Garden," Jasper said. The scent trail seems to circle around the block. C'mon, let's head around back."

Emmett took a couple of steps back, and then we leapt the street that ran in front of the restaurant. We crossed the roof tops circling around to the back of the building, and then we were crouched on another roof top looking down into the alley behind the kitchen entrance.

"This is where they went in," Jasper said.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

"We wait." Jasper said. "We can't go barging in there. We'd never make it out in one piece. That's the Fu's Headquarters. We're not even supposed to be here, and they're justified to defend their turf. If we can walk away from this without another fight, then we need to."

"What about the alley then?"

"Technically they were in the right to defend their turf, but you don't just let somebody kill you. Like you said, it was a trap. They can't hold any fight we win against us, especially if they set it up."

I nodded, and we watched and waited. We didn't have to wait long. The back door opened and a man came walking out. He scanned the alley and the rooftops warily, but he was carrying a staff with a white cloth tied to the top.

"Looks like they want to talk," Jasper said. "That's a parley flag."

"Will they honor a truce to talk, or is this another trap?" I asked.

"Parley is a time honored tradition, and they'd have a tough time negotiating with any of the families if they knew they would be attacked while talking. They'll honor the truce. C'mon"

Jasper pulled his sheathed sword out of the pocket inside of his coat, and then got a large white handkerchief out of his pocket and tied it around the end of the sheath. Emmett picked me up, and then we dropped off the roof into the alley across from the rear entrance of the kitchen.

Another man came walking out of the back of the restaurant, and he had a bundle slung over his shoulder. He was tall and muscular, and his long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He stepped into the light, and I realized he was carrying the limp form of a girl. He stopped across the alley from us, and then roughly dropped her onto the pavement in a heap at his feet.

It was Katy. Her wrists and ankles were bound with tape, and there was more tape bound across her mouth. Her eyes were pinched tightly closed. She was drenched in sweat and it beaded on her brow as she jerked and twitched as though she was being shocked with a cattle prod or random electrical signals were firing in her brain as she lay writhing at his feet.

"Good morning Major. I wasn't sure if you were going to be able to join us."

"Good Morning James. It looks like you've had a busy night."

I bristled at the mention of James name. Emmett placed his hands on my shoulders to hold me back, and restrain me from acting foolishly. So this was the monster that had hurt my Bella and caused so much misery in her life, and now he was hurting Katy, too.

"You must be Edward. I've heard so much about you. We should spend more time together, Edward. You have good taste in girls, or maybe you just pick girls who taste good. You know Bella was so very sweet. I don't think I'll ever forget how she tasted. I would have drained her dry if Emmett hadn't stopped me. Katy was almost as sweet, but it was easier to stop with her."

"What did you do! What's wrong with her! I swear I'll kill you for what you've done to Bella and Katy!" Emmett's grip tightened on my arms, but I tried to restrain myself from acting rashly.

"Calm down, Edward. She'll be fine in a couple of days. I was going to keep her, but Victoria won't let me. She gets so damned jealous. I'm sure Katy would be a lot of fun, but you can have her back."

"You're abandoning another one?" Jasper asked.

"No, Major, apparently I'm cleaning up your messes this time."

He reached into his back pocket and took out a notebook. It was my notebook, and he tossed it to Jasper. He caught it and flipped through it and then turned an accusing look on me.

"Somebody was sloppy and left this where she could find it. It has a lot of our secrets in it. If this had fallen into the wrong hands it would have caused all kinds of trouble. You're just lucky she didn't hook up with the White Hats before she stumbled into our club. She came looking for Bella Swan with a gun in her purse. I wonder what she had in mind?"

"Thank you." Jasper forced through pinched lips.

"You're thanking him? He tortured and murdered Michaela! What's wrong with Katy? What did he do to her?" I was incredulous that Jasper could be accepting this.

"He was justified. This is what we should have done." Jasper said. "Michaela wouldn't have been dragged into this if we would have acted in a timely manner. Katy's been bitten. She's going through the change now. She'll be one of us in a couple of days."

"You're just going to let him get away with this?"

"Don't take it so hard, Edward," James said. "You owed me for what you did to Billy. He was my friend, so I took your friend. He was a vampire and had a gift. I think your little friend here is going to be special if she lives, but I'll leave that to you. We're even now."

"We're nowhere close to even, bastard! You'll pay for all of this!"

"Edward, that's enough." Jasper said.

"I'll leave you now. You can have the girl, or we'll finish cleaning this up if you don't want her." James turned to leave and walked back inside, but then turned back to look over his shoulder inside the doorway. "You know, she told the most interesting stories about all of you, when she wasn't screaming…" He walked away laughing and then the flag bearer went back inside and the door shut.

Jasper stepped towards Katy's twitching form on the ground, and pulled his sword out of the sheath.

"What are you doing? Stop, don't hurt her!" I screamed at him.

He turned back to look at me with a perplexed look on his face. "We need to end this Edward. She's in agony, and she's going to turn. Let me put her out of her misery and we can go. You heard what James said, and the facts back up his story. She was coming here tonight to kill Bella. Besides, we're responsible for her now. She found out about us because of you. She's going to be a newborn vampire, and she'll go on a killing spree to satisfy her bloodlust if nobody claims her and teaches her the rules."

Jasper turned back to face her and raised his sword again…

"Wait, I can't let you hurt her. There's been enough killing tonight. I'm responsible for her, I'll claim her."

Jasper turned back to me in shock. "What! She was going to kill your mate, and you want to let her live? You can't claim her, you might be part of the Family, but that's really just honorary until you're turned. You're not a vampire yet, you can't train her. She'll kill you."

"You sent Bella away while she was a newborn, we can send Katy to Alaska until she's safe to be around people. I don't want her hurt. She didn't ask for any of this… She doesn't need to die too…"

"You really want this, don't you?" Emmett asked. "I never understood it, but Bella didn't want to hurt her either. I knew she was supposed to kill Katy to get her out of the way, but she wouldn't do it. Rosie's probably gonna be pissed. I'll claim her for you, but you've gotta tell Bella." He turned to Jasper. "Signal Robert and have him bring the car around, let's get out of here."

I bent down and picked up Katy's twitching form, and we started down the alley toward the street.

Jasper put away his sword. "You two are insane. This is a bad idea. This is exactly what James was hoping would happen. Do you think Katy is going to stop hating Bella now that she's going to be a vampire on top of everything else? You should have just let me end this tonight!"

We were quiet as we hurried down to the end of the alley. Robert was waiting for us in the black Mercedes sedan. Emmett held the door for me while I got Katy into the back seat. I climbed into the back with her, and Emmett went around and got in on the other side. Jasper got into the passenger seat and sat up front with Robert. I started to pull off the tape.

"Edward, wait." Emmett said. "You can unbind her wrists and ankles, but leave the tape on her mouth. It's probably the only thing stopping the screams right now. We need to keep her quiet until we get back to the tower."

I nodded and left the tape on her mouth. I blanched as I realized what she must be going through. I had heard stories about the change, but I truly couldn't imagine the amount of agony that she must be enduring right now. I wonder if she would have begged me to kill her if I took the tape off.

We made good time as we drove back across town to the Moreno tower and the Flying Dutchman Lounge. There were no further incidents, and then we were spiraling down into the parking garage under the tower. Robert pulled up close to the elevator, and I could see Michaela dented and battered Nissan Sentra parked off to one side. I wondered if her body was still in the trunk.

Emmett got out of the car, and came around and opened the door for me. I slid out of the car and lifted Katy's limp body in my arms. She was still jerking and twitching spasmodically, but I felt it was my responsibility to care for her. This was all my fault. We stepped into the elevator car, and I had no idea what I was going to say to Bella, but I was going to have to face her when we got to the top of the tower.

The car stopped at the Club level, and Robert got out. Then we continued on up to the Family apartments. The doors opened, and everyone was there waiting. Alice, Rose and Bella were sitting together in one of the conversation nooks talking, and Carlisle and Esme were seated together on a love seat looking out on the view of Seattle through the glass wall. All of them turned to look at us as we stepped out of the elevator. They got up and stared as I walked across the room and lay Katy's twitching body on the sofa by the flat screen TV.

"What the hell, Edward!" Alice exclaimed. "You weren't supposed to bring her back, Jazz! Why isn't she dead?"

"I was going to put her down and end her misery, but Edward wouldn't let me administer the coup de grâce. He wanted to claim her…"

"He can't claim her! He isn't a vampire!"

"Emmett claimed her," Jasper said.

"Emmett?" Rosalie exclaimed. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Edward didn't want her to be hurt anymore, and I owed him one. He saved me when we were fighting the Fu's tonight. Bella never wanted to hurt Katy when she was together with Edward. I never understood that before, but she was the innocent in all of this. She was driven to do what she did by the circumstances. She shouldn't have to die for it too. I wasn't going to give that bastard, James, the satisfaction of taking another life, and have us do his dirty work for him."

"James did this?" Bella asked, looking down at Katy twitching on the sofa. Jasper nodded. "Then we share something else in common now, besides just Edward."

"She got herself into this mess because she was gunning for you, but ended up in the wrong place. She came to Seattle to kill you." Jasper took the revolver out of his pocket and handed it to Bella. "She knew what she was doing, too. She took out one of the Fu's, and knew enough to burn the body. Michaela is dead. The Fu's tortured her, drained her dry, and left her for dead in an alley where they set up an ambush for us."

"Where are the Fu's now?" Carlisle asked as he and Esme came over to join our discussion.

"Dead or run off." Jasper said. "We followed James and Katy's scent trail back to the Mandarin Garden Tea Room, and then James came out and had a little chat with us. He gave me this." He took out my notebook and handed it to Esme. "Apparently he took it off of Katy."

Esme flipped through the notebook and then handed it to Rose. I could tell she was mad as she flipped through it. It was obviously mine. My name was on it and in it. I assumed it carried my scent, and if they were familiar with my writing, it was written by my hand. Most of the entries were dated journal style, and all of them were from before the dance on Friday night.

"Where did you have this hidden, Edward?" Esme asked.

"In the bottom drawer of my desk in my bedroom in Forks."

"In future, if you must resort to this kind of documentation, please insure that it is in a secure location. A safe or lock box if possible." Esme said. "Information of this sort is too sensitive to leave lying around unsecured."

"Ok, but you have to realize that the greater majority of that information was gleaned from internet research, educated guesses and conjecture. I suppose the fact that Bella and I were becoming friendlier near the end of the journal added some weight to certain arguments."

"This tells people how to kill us and where to find us, Edward!" Rosalie exclaimed angrily. "You know, there are people out there that hunt us, besides rival Clans! This would have been a goldmine of information if it fell into the wrong hands!"

"I'm sorry. I would have destroyed it if I had known. It's only been a couple of days since I finally accepted that this is my future. I'm sure I still have a lot to learn. I would have told Bella about this, but we've only been together since Friday night. This is Sunday morning for god's sake! And we were here all day yesterday! How was I supposed to know that Katy would break into my house and go through my personal things looking for information? We all thought the situation was under control!"

"Ok, regardless of what information Edward left lying around, we need to decide what we're going to do now." Alice said. "James obviously had an opportunity to talk to Katy before he bit her, and if nothing else he has her purse. I'm sure he could trace the license plates on Michaela's car, but I doubt he'll need to. He knew enough about us to figure out that Edward would likely come looking for her, or he wouldn't have set up an ambush. Now he knows where Katy came from, and if she was important to us, then he knows where we came from. Forks isn't secure anymore. The Fu's know where to find us."

"We can't just abandon Forks now unless you're all willing to completely give up your identities and disappear to start over." Jasper said. "We're going to have to stage an accident to cover up Michaela's death, and Katy is going to have to disappear. We can make it look like she was in the accident, but her body will never be recovered. If all of you suddenly leave too, it'll be too suspicious. Alice moving to Seattle in a month should be ok, but if the rest of you pull up stakes and disappear too, it'll raise suspicion. People might start to investigate, and that's never good for us. You're going to have to stay in Forks until thing's settle down to avoid being implicated in this."

"Why do you say here body won't be recovered?" Rosalie asked. "We haven't made that decision yet. She can still pass for human at this point. Why not simply put her in the car when you stage your accident?"

"No." Bella said. Everyone was silent and turned to look at her. "Emmett was right. Katy was the innocent victim in all of this. She's suffered enough. She shouldn't have to die because of all of this. This is as much my fault as it is Edward's and James. I won't be party to causing her anymore suffering, and I won't give James the satisfaction of destroying more of her life than he already has."

"Well then what are we going to do with her?" Rosalie asked.

"I told Katy I'd see that she was taken care of and learned enough of the rules to stay out of trouble if she decided to be changed." Esme said. "Nothing has changed except that her choices were taken away from her, but then how many of us got to choose this life? I'll call Tanya and see if she can go to Denali until she can handle being around humans again. Past that, I don't know what her future will hold."

"She was coming to Seattle to try and kill Bella!" Rose exclaimed. "You're just gonna let that slide?"

"She was distraught. If she'd come here instead of going to the Fu's, we'd have likely stopped her, and Michaela would still be alive. I stood on top of that cliff for a long time after I lost my little boy before I walked away and went on with my life. If I was faced with the same circumstances as Katy, I can't say I would have done differently. She was convinced she could save Edward and break the mating bond. She'll realize that's impossible now."

"Fine, if this is what you all want, then ship her to Denali, but if she pulls any shit like this after she's changed, then I'll tear the bitches head off and burn the pieces myself!" She turned and stormed to the elevator, and stabbed the button, and stepped inside when the doors opened almost immediately.

"It'll be ok, Rose." Bella said. Then she turned to Esme. "Make your phone calls, and we'll have to make arrangements to get Katy up north. We should try to get her transported before she wakes up. She'll be easier to move while she's still incapacitated. It'll be more difficult after she's awake."

Esme nodded. "I'll go call right away, c'mon Carlisle. Let's go make some calls. I've been dying to introduce you to Tanya and Irina. They're both like sisters to me…" She took Carlisle's hand, and they walked away towards the study.

Then Bella turned toward me. She wasn't smiling. "C'mon Edward, we need to talk. Let's go upstairs where we can have some privacy." I nodded and followed her up the stairs to her suite.

We stepped into the room, and Bella shut the door behind me. Suddenly I found myself flying through the air, and landed flat on my back on the sofa with Bella kneeling on top of me.

"Edward Cullen! I will not be taken for granted! Am I perfectly clear? There are two people in this relationship. Just you and me, not you, me and Katy! This is not a ménage à trois! You need to get over her, and commit to me if we're going to make this work. That's what you were doing when asked me to dance at home coming! You said you wanted me! You can't keep going off to chase after Katy, Edward! Do you have any idea what that does to me!"

It was a good thing I still had the bullet proof vest on. Otherwise she probably would have cracked my sternum by now, the way she was poking me in the chest with her fingertip.

"You're angry, and you're mad at me…"

"Oh, you think? Whatever gave you that Idea?"

"I'm sorry, Bella… I don't mean to take you for granted…"

"It's like you think just because there's this mating bond that's drawing us together, that you don't have to put any effort into our relationship! It makes me feel cheap and worthless when you can so easily throw everything we should be feeling for each other to the side, and still want to run off and rescue Katy! I know our relationship might feel kind of lopsided, and you might not think that I need to be rescued. I know that I'm physically more powerful because of what I am, but that doesn't mean that I don't still have the same emotional needs, Edward."

"Is that what I'm doing? I hadn't realized… I'm so sorry, Bella…"

"It's like you're still emotionally invested in Katy, Edward. I need to know that you're over her. I know, this is only Sunday morning, and it's only been a couple of days, but you said that you love me. You said you need to be with me. All of you, with me! You act like I'm going to be there for you no matter what simply because we're bound together not because of what we mean to each other! I need you to be emotionally invested in me, Edward Cullen! You've got to get your head around the concept of us together as a couple!"

She was right. I had gone to La Push that night after the dance to break up with Katy. I'd felt I owed it to her to tell her to her face, but I had totally blown that. I had to admit to myself that Katy and I were over. Katy was my past, and Bella was my future. I needed to start acting like that, or I was just going to keep hurting Bella.

"I'm sorry, Bella. You're right. I've been acting like a total ass. I know I can say that I'm over Katy, and that she's in my past, but I realize the words are meaningless unless I back them up with action. You are my world now, and I'm committed to you. From this moment forward, believe me when I say that I'm committed to you. I know this relationship will take effort, and I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to make you realize that I do truly love you. I know these are only words, but if you're willing to give me some time, I promise I'll live up to my commitments."

It was going to take time to make this relationship work. So far it had all been about attraction and physical need. Bella needed to feel loved, and I hadn't been fulfilling those needs. That had to be my focus as we moved forward together as a couple. I needed to show her how much she truly meant to me. As she put it, I needed to become emotionally invested in our relationship.

It was probably a sign of just how mad she truly was that we didn't have sex that morning. Instead we spent the morning talking and really getting to know each other better as people. We worked up to the point were she would let me hold her again, and we sat together on the couch and cuddled as we made up. She needed me to show her how much she meant to me as a person, and that I did truly love her. I was more than willing to accept that role.

We finally went back downstairs later that afternoon. Esme had a late lunch sent up from the restaurant for the humans, and we actually got to use her dining room table to sit down and eat a meal. Esme had called Denali and made the arrangements for Katy while Bella and I were upstairs talking. Emmett had gotten Rose calmed down, and then he left to deliver Katy to her new home in Alaska. She was gone when we went back downstairs to rejoin the rest of the family.

Jasper's special operations team had made arrangements to setup the accident to cover up Michaela's death and Katy's disappearance. Katy and Michaela were going to simply be missing for a while, and if it wasn't discovered sooner, an anonymous tip would lead to the discovery of her wrecked car in the sound in about a week. Her body would be discovered shortly afterwards, but Katy would simply remain missing and presumed dead.

Alice and Jasper had worked out the arrangements for a security detail to provide protection for our family until we felt it was safe to finally leave Forks altogether. So far, we were still planning on Bella and I completing at least this school year at Forks high school. Bella had recruited the first two members of her crew, and Bree and Diego would be joining us in Forks. They weren't going to enroll in school, but would be on full time security detail while Bella worked on their training. Jasper would be providing additional security personnel until Bella and I could add to our team.

Senior year was still in limbo. We'd both like to be able to graduate from high school together, but it would depend on how things worked out. Esme had already put out some feelers to real estate brokers in Chicago, and as soon as she had some leads, Carlisle and Esme would be making the first of many trips to the windy city.

Early Sunday evening, a small highly armed convoy left Seattle, and we made the trip back to Forks.


	18. Acting Normal

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **The Mating Dance

**Rating**: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

**Alternate Universe:** Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

**POV: **EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

I know this has been a while coming. I really thought I'd have this posted before Thanksgiving, but stuff happens. I've been writing, but not necessarily on the stories you want to read. I felt guilty about posting anything else until I had this chapter finished.

I just have to edit the next chapter of SoG, and it should be ready to post. If you're interested in seeing the other projects I'm working on, let me know, and maybe I'll post them too.

Enjoy, and I'd love to hear what you think about this story.

Sorry, the wrong version got posted the first time.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 17 Acting Normal

I felt slightly uncomfortable standing in my stiff pressed black dress pants, the crisp starched white dress shirt and black jacket. The tie constricted my neck and I felt clammy with sweat despite the light drizzle of the cool late October morning. Bella's ice cold hand was clasped firmly in mine as she stood motionless beside me in her black dress. My black dress shoes squelched in the damp green turf as we stood listening to Pastor Weber give the eulogy.

Jasper was making a rare public appearance as he stood close with his arm around Alice's shoulders. The story was that he was in town to help Alice prepare to relocate to Seattle to join the Martial arts team that had recruited him. Carlisle and Esme were trying to blend inconspicuously into the crowd, but people still stared at them.

Michaela's mother and father sat in the folding chairs beside Pastor Weber as he stood at the head of the casket. Mrs. Clark, Michaela's mother wasn't hysterical, but she had been quietly crying ever since I'd first seen her in the church before the service this morning. Her husband was holding her, trying to comfort her, but he wasn't in much better shape himself as he sat stoically trying to restrain his own tears.

Katy's mother and father sat next to them. I could feel Carolyn Decker's eyes bore into me as she glared at me across the casket that lay suspended on the straps over the open grave. Katy's father refused to look at me. I had tried to meet his eye, but he'd looked away as he sat beside his wife. I could practically feel the anger rolling off of him in waves as he sat at his daughter's memorial service. They had all but expected me to become their son-in-law one day, and now here I was at what was effectively Katy's funeral with another girl not two weeks after Katy had disappeared and was presumed dead by everyone that was remotely involved in the case.

The Decker's had to know about the missing gun, but all of our sources told us that they hadn't reported it missing. They hadn't told the Police that Katy had taken the pistol the day she disappeared. It wouldn't bring her back, and they believed she'd died in the crash too, but they had to wonder why Katy had needed a pistol on the day she 'died'. I could feel it in Carolyn Decker's eyes as she glared at me. Katy wouldn't be gone if she hadn't followed me to Seattle, and I knew she blamed me. Even the police had stopped investigating, and were just waiting for her body to eventually wash up somewhere if it ever did.

Jasper's covert ops team had planted enough evidence to make it seem obvious that Katy had been in the car when it went off the bridge into the water. The spider webbed windshield where a head had impacted the inside of the glass, the seat belt wrenched loose, her cell phone lodged under the seat, shreds of clothing that still managed to carry lingering traces of her DNA on them even after the car was in the water for a week all led to the same conclusion, but without a body, she was still listed as missing and presumed dead.

Half of Forks high school was standing in the little cemetery on the corner of Calawah Way and Merchant Drive. The funeral at the small church across the street from the high school had been crowded with people standing in the back of the church, and an overflow of mourners crowding the doorways. The closed casket had dominated the central aisle way between the pews, and a large framed picture of Katy had been set up beside it because her body hadn't been recovered from the Sound. The ceremony was as much for Katy as it was for Michaela, but it didn't have the same sense of closure and finality without her body present. Of course I knew where her body was, and it wasn't exactly dead.

Emmett had stayed in Alaska until Katy woke up. At least that way she'd had one vaguely familiar face there when she'd learned the truth. She'd met Emmett at least once, and had seen him around on a couple of occasions, although they were hardly on speaking terms, but he was a connection to her past. She hadn't taken the news well, but she knew they were telling her the truth, and she was adapting. She had bonded with Tanya and Irina, and trusted them now. She'd get the training she'd need to survive.

Michaela hadn't been so lucky. There was a body in the casket in the church, and then in the hearse that we'd followed in the short procession to the cemetery for the graveside service. Michaela was too young to have had a chance to accomplish much in her short life, but she had been a good friend to a lot of people and was sorely missed.

People had started to wonder what had happened when the girls hadn't shown up for school by the second day. Their parents had tried to keep it quiet at the urging of the police while they investigated and looked for evidence of foul play, but Forks was a small town and the stories had started to circulate. They were obviously missing and the story of their disappearance was common knowledge when they missed the Cross Country League Meet on October 22, the following Thursday after homecoming.

An anonymous tip had led the police to the wrecked car under the bridge in Puget Sound that weekend, a week after they had disappeared. Michaela's body had been recovered still seat belted into the driver seat, but the passenger door had been broken open during the accident and was barely attached to the car. Divers had searched for three days, but all they found was Katy's shoes and ripped shreds of clothing.

I hadn't even wanted to go to the district cross country meet, but we'd all sat down and discussed it. We had to act normal. We had to go on with our lives with as little deviation from our normal patterns as possible, despite how much everything had suddenly changed. It was part of fitting in. We could start to incorporate the changes, but we had to do it over time so people wouldn't realize what was going on.

Carlisle and Esme had made the biggest obvious public change with Esme moving in with Carlisle, but that was marginally acceptable. They were both adults, and that was something people did in a relationship. It was still sudden, and this was a small town so there was talk, but Carlisle was still 'that crazy hippy medicine guy from California'. We were in rural Washington after all, and half the people in town probably pictured him living in a free love commune before we moved here. He didn't fit the profile though, he was always professionally dressed, and drove a nice car, but it was still hard to shake the image.

Alice was going to make the next big public change when she left town, transferred out of school, and moved to Seattle. She had already notified the school, and she had met with Mrs. Cope, Principal Rupprecht and her counselor to make the arrangements. Rose had all her paperwork ready and filled out and the date was set. She had two weeks to go, and then she'd be gone too.

Bella and I were tasked with fitting in and going on like nothing had changed. I drew the line when they had suggested that maybe I should try distancing my self from Bella in public and pretend like I was in mourning. I refused. People already knew about Bella and I. We'd been together at homecoming, and people had obviously seen our relationship developing even if I had been too much of an idiot to recognize it. I was not going to continue to play an idiot in public now that my eyes had been opened and I realized just how wonderful and special Bella was.

Taking care of business as usual was another part of acting normal, but business was good. I talked to Sam a couple of days after we got back from that first weekend after homecoming and picked up more product for Seattle. It was five times more than I'd bought in the past, so it was good for both of us, but Sam was still worried. Jacob was still giving him grief, but he had him under control for now. Things were going smooth and I'd driven out to La Push to make my buy. It was safer for me, because once I crossed the treaty line I was untouchable by my enemies, but Sam didn't like it. He tried to keep his business separate from the tribe, and warned that we'd need to meet someplace else next time.

Acting normal meant that Bella still had to pretend to live with the Dahlke's although she spent every night in my bed and drove with me to school every day. I'd pushed recent events out of my mind and had won a spot at the State Cross Country meet that was coming up next week on Halloween. I was favored to win again in the 1A Class. Bella still had two football games to cheer at, and from the look of things the football team was going to the playoffs if they did well in those next two games. She was going to miss one to go to State Cross Country with me, but I knew she didn't really mind.

Hopefully we'd have a break before wrestling season started on December fifth. It would be too much of a change if I didn't go out for wrestling this year, considering I'd won the state title in my weight class last year. Right now, I would have preferred to simply spend time with Bella, but I couldn't simply erase my past or change my life that much without standing out. People would talk.

Wrestling season would carry on through the end of January, and then there'd be a break because basketball season would continue through to the middle of February. Longer if the basketball team made it into the playoffs. If I went to State Wrestling again, there would be a week long tournament in February, but that wouldn't be too bad.

Bella had already talked to Janet Stanley, and was going to cheer for the wrestling squad. After football season, they'd split the squad and half the girls would cheer for the basketball team during basketball season, and half for the wrestling squad during wrestling season. The basketball team was more high profile and considered the more prestigious squad, so there was no problem with Bella wanting to go to the wrestling cheerleader squad. Besides, Janet and Jessica were still holding a grudge over the whole homecoming fiasco, so it was likely Bella would have ended up cheering for wrestling season, regardless. She'd really only even tried out for the squad in the first place because of Alice, and now Alice was leaving. At least this way she'd have an excuse to travel to all the wrestling meets with me.

The upside of this development was that we'd be able to ride to all of the wrestling meets together on the bus with the team. The downside of this development was that we'd be riding to all of the wrestling meets together on the bus with the coaches as chaperones. Bella had to pretend to be a teenager, while I still was one. We we're getting better, and could almost make it through the school day without sneaking away to be alone together. I didn't know how we'd survive a bus trip together without scandalizing the coaches and other passengers, but only time would tell. We still had several weeks before it would be an issue.

Bella squeezed my hand lightly to break me out of my rumination, and scowled at me playfully. I suppose I was letting my mind wander, and it wasn't exactly appropriate to let my arousal become apparent giving our current circumstances. Pastor Weber was wrapping up the service and I needed to be presentable to go to the Decker's house. There was a reception planned for family and friends, and I needed to make an appearance to express my condolences despite their evident hostility.

I led Bella back to the car when the funeral ended. People were going up to Michaela and Katy's parents to offer their condolences, and try and speak a few kind words, but what possible words or sentiment could possibly ease their suffering in this time of grief?

Jasper had driven the big black Mercedes Sedan. He helped Alice into the passenger seat, and Bella and I sat in the back. Carlisle and Esme had taken her car, and we'd catch up with them later.

"You don't have to do this, Edward." Bella said quietly as we sat in the back, and Jasper eased the big car into the uncharacteristic traffic to drive to Katy's house one last time.

"Yes, I do. It's the very least I can do. I feel responsible for their grief." I was quiet for a minute, and then asked, "Is it always like this?"

"Not always." Jasper said. "You're not personally responsible. You didn't cause this, but try to hold on to this and remember how you're feeling now. It'll make it easier later on. Most of us slip eventually. This is what happens when you slip. Caring will make it easier to do the right thing and hopefully harder to slip."

"James didn't slip. He did this on purpose!" I said, mad.

"That's a part of this life too." Jasper said almost too quietly for me to hear. "Sometimes you don't care. Sometimes it's just about the blood and you don't care about the consequences. It's easy to see victims as objects and forget they were somebody's child once, that they have families and people that care about them, no matter what they did to you…"

"Don't some people deserve to die?"

"Nobody deserves to die, but sometimes we do what we've got to do. Even the worst monster still has somebody that cares about them. It's the caring that keeps us from becoming monsters like James."

"You kill people, Jasper. That's what you do… How can you say that?"

"I do my job, and I'm good at it, but I care every time… I feel everything the people I kill feel. I never said I liked it, just that I'm good at it. I do what Esteban tells me to do, and for the most part I agreed and it needed doing. I'd like to think I've served the greater good. Things are better because of the decisions we've made."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course. The guy that wins the fight gets to tell what happened. You should realize by now, that the victors write the history books. Besides, the losers don't care anymore. They're all dead."

"That seems a little self serving to me."

"The world isn't a warm fuzzy happy place, Edward. That's an illusion that is maintained for the masses so they can go on about their lives and think they're safe and protected. When you join our world, you have to strip away that veneer of civility and see the realities of the world we live in."

We didn't have time to continue. We were at Katy's house, and the street was already crowded with cars. We parked down the street and got out to walk back to the house. There was some of her extended family here in town to help out and to come for the funeral. I had met some of them before, and they had all known me as Katy's boyfriend. More than a few had expected us to marry eventually, and there were perplexed and disapproving looks now as I walked into the house with Bella on my arm.

I felt uncomfortable, but I felt I had an obligation to tell Katy's parents I was sorry. They weren't together now. Some of the women had taken Carolyn to lie down and were trying to comfort her, but Katy's father was out in the living room greeting well wishers and speaking quietly with them. We mingled and waited for the crowd to die down. I felt I owed Katy's father more than a canned stilted response and a generic wish that he feel better. I approached Katy's father when there was a lull in the crowd.

"Hello Mr. Decker," I said, and he turned and looked at me. I saw antagonism flash across his features before he schooled his expression. "I'd like to offer my condolences for your loss. I'm very sorry about everything that's happened. Katy didn't deserve this. I'm sorry for your loss."

Katy's father looked over my shoulder, and I knew he was looking back at Bella, standing with Alice and Jasper.

"Thank you for the sentiment, Edward. I'd like to speak privately with you for a moment, if you don't mind."

Katy's father was angry, and he was mad at me, but I didn't think he was dangerous. I felt he was more curious than looking for somebody to lash out at. He'd never been that type of man in the time that I'd known him. I nodded, and followed him through the kitchen and out into the yard. The drizzle was heavier but it wasn't quite rain yet. He waited until we were out of earshot of the house before he stopped and turned to me.

"I don't need all the details, Edward. Katy's gone and nothings going to bring my girl back. Just tell me one thing. I haven't talked to the police because I didn't want to tarnish Katy's memory, and the accident seemed pretty straight forward. Why did Katy need a pistol the night that she died? Who was she going to shoot? I trained her how to use that pistol, and she knew it wasn't something you use to scare somebody. If she took a gun then she knew somebody would die if she used it."

"I won't lie to you and tell you I don't know. She went to Seattle to look for me and Bella, but she was going to shoot Bella Swan if she found her."

"Ok, maybe I do have another question. Why would Katy feel that she needed to shoot Bella, Edward?" He asked me with the accusation plain on his face.

"It wasn't like that Mr. Decker. I loved Katy, but we started to drift apart at the beginning of the school year. I will admit that it was my attraction to Bella that drove us apart, but I never cheated on Katy. I stopped seeing her while I wrestled with my conscience. In the end I chose Bella and Katy and I broke up. She couldn't accept that, and came after Bella. I'm sorry, Mr. Decker, that things couldn't have worked out differently. I never wanted Katy to get hurt."

He sighed and looked away, "But she did get hurt. Thank you for being honest with me Edward. I wanted Katy to have a long happy life, but maybe going out quick in an accident was better than spending the rest of her life in prison. At least nobody else's family is suffering today. I'm just sorry she had to take Michaela down with her."

"Yes, Michaela didn't deserve any of this. She was innocent of everything except trying to help her best friend."

"I wish she would have helped her by calling me instead of driving her to Seattle."

"We all wish things would have turned out differently, but all we can do is go on and move forward. Good bye, Mr. Decker. I'm sorry for all of this. I'll go now."

Katy's father just nodded, and I left him with his thoughts in the backyard. I went back inside and collected Bella, Alice and Jasper and we left. We walked down the block to the Clark's house and went in and met briefly with Michaela's parents. They had no reason to suspect that we had any involvement in their daughter's death, and we were simply more of her friends from school who were there for them in their hour of grief to offer our condolences for the friend that we had lost. We were done quickly and left.

It was mid-afternoon now, and Alice, Bella and I had all taken the day off from school. It was Thursday, and Carlisle had called us in absent this morning. The school knew what day this was, and while the absence was unexcused, they knew a lot of kids would be out all day for the funeral. The deaths had hit the small community hard, and the school accepted the fact that a lot of people would have a hard time dealing with this.

We drove back to the house, and went in and got changed out of our dress clothes. I felt more comfortable in more casual clothes, and Bella looked cute in her tight jeans, long sleeved tee shirt, and sneakers. Alice smiled when she saw her dressed in what at first glance appeared to be casual clothes from a common department store. On closer inspection it became obvious that they were high quality name brand items that were of superior quality despite appearing to be common items. She preferred to see us all dressed in designer clothes, even if it was just jeans and a tee shirt, and Bella preferred simple and comfortable. It would appear that they had compromised.

We weren't going to head back to school, but Bella and I wanted to get out of the house for a while. She wouldn't take me with her when she went to hunt, but we often went out together to check in on the security teams keeping an eye on Forks and our house in particular.

We went outside, and headed north down the slope behind the house toward the river. I still felt kind of self conscious when Bella carried me, but it was something I'd just have to deal with until I was changed, and I wanted to wait at least until I was eighteen. She swept me up into her arms as we got to the tree line, and flashed into the strip of woods. I felt her muscles bunch and push off, and then we were sailing across the river.

I'd wondered that night, when I was parked with Katy, how Bella had appeared out of nowhere, but now I knew as she touched down lightly in a slight crouch to cushion the impact for me on the opposite shore of the river, and then continued effortlessly into the forest. I was lost in the blur of green as we rocketed through the trees, but I knew now that she was holding back to make the trip easier for me. I knew roughly where we were supposed to be, because they had told me on previous trips, but I wouldn't be able to find any of these spots on my own. I'd be hiking for hours with a compass and map to cover a fraction of the territory that Bella blurred through in minutes.

We stopped in a small clearing that we'd used a couple of times for these types of meetings. Bella set me down, and I scanned the forest around us. I knew better than to simply look around at ground level now, and scanned what I could see of the canopy over us and around us. I knew we were being watched, but it was just another clearing in the forest to me. Even knowing they were there, I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

There was a rustling of leaves and a rush of air, and then Bree dropped out of the trees and was standing in front of us. I knew she had made so much noise for my benefit, so she wouldn't startle me by simply seeming to appear out of nowhere. Diego was more subtle. There was no sound or overt movement, but somehow I knew he was standing behind us, as though some sort of sixth sense had alerted me to his presence.

"Hey Bree, Diego, How's it going today," I asked.

"He's a good one, Capo," Diego said behind me. "Edward here's gonna be special when you turn him."

"He's special now." Bella said. "So what's up? You two staying in touch with the other teams?"

"Pretty much the same as it's been since we got here." Bree said. "Jasper's crew is keeping things locked down. We know that James crew is still out there, but they don't come close enough to make contact. We follow the trails when they come close, but make sure they aren't trying to just draw us off to leave a hole in the net."

"It's like they're just keeping up the pressure." Diego added. "Letting us know they're watching, but not really trying to get through."

"Ok," Bella said. "Tomorrow you two stay close, and meet up with Jasper after school. I'll be on the bus with the football team, Alice, and the other cheerleaders. You two can ride with Jasper and Edward out to Rainier. The game is scheduled to start at seven, so you should have plenty of time to stop and feed Edward and still get out there for the game."

"No problemo, Capo." Diego replied. "These high school football games are kind of fun. I should have gone to more of them when I was human."

"Sure, they're kind of fun, and its cool watching you cheer, but how can you stand sitting through high school, when you don't have to?" Bree asked. "I couldn't stand high school when I was human. I sure as hell wouldn't want to have to put up with it now."

Bella shrugged. "I never got to go to school regular since I was in like the sixth grade. My dad was a real asshole, and I never got to go to high school at all when I was human. I wanted to try it, and now that I'm started, I want to finish. I don't care how easy the work is, I think its fun."

"I guess. If you like it…" Bree said.

"You guy's better have those GED's up to date and talk to Jasper about getting you transcripts. After we graduate and Edward can be around humans again, we're all doing college together." Bree and Diego both groaned. "I don't care how intelligent you are, I want us to be educated too. Reading books is fine, but college will help refine the knowledge and make you use it to think critically. That'll give us an edge."

"Ok, as long as there's a reason and you have a plan." Diego said. "Jasper says you're jefe, and you call the shots. It's good to be smart, Capo. I knew this was a good move signing on with you. 'see, Bree, we're goin' places."

"Well, I guess we're going to college, but that's in a few years, right? That's cool I guess."

"Yeah, we'll stay in Forks as long as we can, but Alice says we might have to leave this summer to relocate, maybe out somewhere in the Midwest. If we do, we'll be the last out, and we'll have to give the Fu's the slip, or whack'em."

"No problemo, Capo." Diego replied. "These Fu pussies are getting' on my last nerve. I'd prefer a stand up fight to all this dancin' 'round."

"Yeah, well as long as they're dancing, nobodies dying. I can deal with less of that."

"Yeah, the funeral looked like a real bummer, but I liked your dress." Bree said. "That's when they got closest today. Wouldn't be surprised if they got some shots of it with a telephoto lens, 'course why they'd want pictures of the funeral I got no idea."

"Ok, well stay on patrol for now. Rotate back to the house when you need a shower or some down time."

"Did you think about those other prospects I recommended, Bella?" Bree asked as we were preparing to leave.

"I'll talk to Edward about it. I don't think we'll be back in Seattle for a couple of weeks, but we'll talk to them next chance we get, ok?"

Bree nodded and we left. Bree was a good kid, and Diego wasn't too bad either. He grew on you after a while. They weren't mated, but they were about as close as you could get without the mating bond. They were a couple and had been together for years now. They shared a normal sort of love, if there ever was such a thing, and looked out for each other. They'd come up from southern California a couple years back to get away from the sun. They had been independents in the Seattle Metro area before they petitioned to join up with the Moreno's and Bella had recruited them.

Bree had a story that I was learning was fairly common of a lot of the vampires that had been turned in the last half of the twentieth century. She had been a typical teenager, fed up with school and parents, cutting class to hang out at a local mall. Some vampire down on his luck and gone too long without feeding lured her away from her friends and bit her, but then was overcome with remorse for what had happened, and turned her instead of killing her. Sometimes it was a bar; sometimes a party or some sort of celebration like a fair or street festival, but the rest of the story was the same. Maybe they didn't have to kill to feed, but they still couldn't leave witnesses. The Volturi tended to frown on that, and it was easier to turn someone than leave a trail of corpses.

Diego was another story that I was learning was fairly common, but his had a twist. His brother had gotten involved with street gangs and turned to petty crime. The gang ran afoul of one of the local clans enforcers, and Diego's brother had been killed. Diego had started investigating to avenge his brother and had proved resourceful and intelligent. The typical part was that the clan enforcers often recruited from local gangs, picking the best and brightest. The twist was that Diego wasn't a gang banger. He'd been planning on enlisting in the military as his ticket out of the barrio so he could build a better life for himself.

Rather than hooking up with the clans, he'd stayed independent until he met Bree. They'd left LA together heading north to Seattle to try and find a better life than what the southern clans offered.

Apparently the majority of the more recent vampire population was hardly affluent, and quite the opposite for the most part. Sure, if you were immortal you could build up some cash and set up some long term investments, but that still required seed capital and time for the investments to grow. Vampires couldn't exactly hold down nine to five jobs without raising suspicion. Or most any legitimate jobs for that matter when they were new. Most independents resorted to petty crime to cover their basic needs. Most of those that weren't already part of one of the clans eventually aligned themselves with one of the families for protection and support.

I settled in to enjoy the ride as we ran the circuit. Bella liked to run the security perimeter to check in with the security teams personally. She figured it was the least she could do since we had so many people out in the woods pulling security detail to keep us safe. Besides, Jasper was going to be gone back to Seattle in a couple of weeks, and then she'd be in charge. This was her responsibility, and she took it seriously.

I didn't see how we could go on like this for another seven months, let alone summer vacation and next year, but Jasper didn't seem too concerned at least as far as this school year was concerned. The Volturi already patrolled the treaty line outside La Push, and the Fu's couldn't push too hard around here. It was why it had been a good safe house location in the first place for Bella and Jasper. As long as we played it cool and kept a low profile, we were within our rights. This was Moreno turf, and the Fu's would be picking a fight on protected ground if they hassled us. Didn't mean they wouldn't, but it would need to be something big to make them take the chance.

Alice and Bella wore their cheerleading uniforms to school on Friday, and it didn't help making it through the day without being caught in a compromising position any easier. Bella and I had been working on our control ever since we'd come back from that first crazy weekend in Seattle. We were being good and trying to confine the mating activity to couples alone time at night. Those first couple of days at school had been living hell as I tried to keep my hands to myself and act like everything was normal. I hadn't wanted to scandalize the Bella or the school with an overt incident where Carlisle would have to intervene on my behalf.

We had been successful so far. Of course that depended upon how you defined successful. As long as you defined successful as not getting caught, we were doing well.

Friday at school after the funeral on Thursday was still a somber affair. There were cards and pictures taped up on the walls around Katy and Michaels lockers and tokens of friendship and a couple of small stuffed animals, flowers, and other items were on the floor in front like a small shrine as friends and well wishers expressed their grief.

There were still some hard looks and cold stares as we made our way into the school and I held Bella close, but most of our fellow students had accepted that Katy and I were over and had effectively broken up before homecoming, even if we hadn't said the words.

I sat between Alice and Bella during first period English. Holding hands and sitting close together with Bella was enough to get me through second period gym class when we had to be apart. Third period Trig and fourth period Spanish were pretty much a repeat of English class, and we'd sit close together in the back of the class holding hands.

We usually found a hidden spot to enjoy some alone time or left campus to go out for lunch, but Bella didn't need to eat and I had more important things on my mind than food. We only had thirty minutes for lunch, but we'd become adept and finding secluded places to slip away for some privacy before we had to show up for fifth period AP Chemistry.

We hurried out of Spanish class together, and headed around the cafeteria for the gym. Anyone who saw us heading that direction would probably assume we were going out to the smoking area for a cigarette. The front of the gym was open, and the weight room was open during lunch for any of the athletes to use. The weather was wet out, and the gym was open during lunch so students could get in out of the rain if they didn't want to sit in the cafeteria all period. There were balls and exercise equipment available for use, and one of the coaches stayed on duty during lunch, so people didn't get rowdy or act up.

We didn't go in the front and continued around the building like we were heading out to the football field. We'd gone in the back entrance to the gym a couple of times before and snuck into the weight room or athletic trainer's office. There were a couple of store rooms and broom closets too, but Bella was holding my hand, and she didn't go to the back door of the gym today, but led me towards the bleachers at the edge of the football field.

I wondered if we were going to go sit in the bleachers. I was cold and wet out, but the bleachers had an overhanging awning roof to keep the worst of the weather off. It wouldn't be too wet, but it would be cold. Bella turned before we got to the ramp up into the bleachers, and pulled me behind the concession stand under the bleachers. There was a door in the side away from the school, and she produced a key and opened the door. I didn't ask where she managed to get a key from, but she seemed to have keys for most of the locked rooms on campus whenever she needed them.

She pulled me inside with her and closed and locked the door behind us. It was dark but toasty warm inside. The light was out but I could make out most of the features in the room from the orange glow coming off of a ceramic heater that somebody had thoughtfully setup in the back of the storeroom behind the concession stand. Flats of pop were stacked along the wall next to the water heater. The room was a little cluttered, but there was room to move down the middle. There was a sturdy looking wooden table in the middle of the room with folding chairs setup around it. The officials would come in here during halftime at the games to take a break and get out of the weather.

Bella turned to face me and I pulled her into my arms. Her arms snaked around my neck as her fingers tangled into my hair and pulled my face down to hers. I rested my forehead against hers and stared deeply into her bright ochre eyes.

"You know, I do love you so much, Bella."

"I love you too, but we're a little pressed for time." She pulled me closer and kissed me quick. "This is the only time I'll get to be close to you until after the football game in Rainier tonight."

She started to move backward toward the table. "I know I'm supposed to be into this whole school spirit thing and cheer for the team, but if they win these next two games and go to the playoffs, I think I'll just scream! Wrestling season won't be so bad, but I hate being separated from you during these football games."

Bella still had her arms around my neck, and pulled me close to kiss me again. This kiss was longer and more passionate. Her tongue traced along my bottom lip begging for entry, and my lips parted as the kiss became deeper. The tip of her tongue touched mine and circled it feather soft, and then more insistently. It was slick and sweet, velvety soft and steel strong all at the same time, and I liked it.

My hands traveled down to cup her ass through the material of her short pleated skirt. I hiked it up, lifting it up around her waist, and my thumbs hooked into the elastic band of the shorts she was wearing under it. I pushed her shorts down as my hands slipped inside the fabric to caress the smooth bare skin of her firm ass cheeks.

Bella moaned against my lips as I pushed her shorts and tiny thong panties down to her knees, and then my hand was reaching around under her ass to stroke between her legs. She groaned and held me tighter as my finger dipped into her wetness. My finger pushed deep inside her, and then pulled out to stroke through her folds and moved forward to circle her clit.

She let her shorts drop to her ankles, and then she was lifting her bright white sneaker clad foot free of the fabric. My hands were opening my pants, and then I pushed them down to my knees as she clung to me, kissing my mouth, my neck, my throat.

Her hand circled my hard cock stroking it as it sprung free from my shorts. I moaned as her firm cool grip moved up and down my hard cock, and she reached between my legs to tenderly caress and cup my balls.

My hands were on her shoulders turning her, and she took the hint, turning towards the table. Her hands were on the table as she leaned forward and spread her legs to give me better access. I flipped the skirt up onto her back, and stroked my hand through her wetness and diddled her clit with my finger again as she moaned.

"Oh my god… I need you now… Edward fuck me! I need you inside… Please…" She begged me.

I moved behind her, and stroked my cock through the wetness between her legs. She moaned as the head of my cock stroked between her full lips and moved through her folds.

My hips moved back, and I pressed the head of my cock against her opening. Bella groaned again as I started to push into her. She was so tight. Like silky velvet surrounded by a steel grip. We were more practiced now and I sank deep inside her in one long, deep, steady thrust.

"Oh God Yes…Oh my god… Fuck me!" She moaned.

"God Bella… you're so tight… So good…" I groaned as I pushed deep inside her.

I held her hips as I rocked back to slide almost out and then thrust back deep inside. She panted and moaned as I moved trusting deep inside of her on every stroke as we moved rhythmically together. She was pushing back to meet my thrusts, and my hand reached around between her legs. My fingers found her clit to stroke it in time with my thrusts into her sex.

"Uhnn… Uhnn… God… Uhnn… Uhnn… Oh My God… Edward… I love you so much…"

Bella twisted back to look at me as I leaned over her, thrusting my hard cock into her sex, and her lips captured mine in a kiss. It was passionate and deep as her tongue swirled around mine, and then she pulled away. She was gripping the edge of the table and I knew she was getting close.

"Oh god… Edward fuck me! Oh god…" She moaned as I thrust into her tight pussy.

I pulled back and rocked my hips forward thrusting into her cool slick wetness, moving harder and faster as our bodies moved together. Bella rocked her hips to meet my thrusts, and we crashed together as our bodies moved to the throbbing pulse of the connection that joined our souls together.

"Oh god… Edward Harder! God… Fuck me… Fuck me harder!" Bella groaned.

I gripped her hips tight as I pressed her down against the hard edge of the table and I hammered into her, thrusting hard and fast with her legs spread in front me and her hands gripped the edge hard. I heard the wood splinter under her grip, and I knew how much she wanted this.

God… Edward… I'm gonna… God I'm almost there!" she moaned getting louder as she got closer to the edge.

Bella moaned loud, and she threw her head back and cried my name as her back arched. I thrust hard and fast into her. Her pussy clenched hard around my solid cock as her hands ripped the edge of the table loose and her orgasm carried her away.

"Uhnn… Uhnn… God… Bella! I'm gonna… Uhnn… I'm almost there…" I panted against the back of her neck as I drove deep into her pussy, plunging to the hilt hard and fast!

I was past the point of stopping now, and was thrusting even more urgently as I felt the tingling at the base of my cock in my balls and I knew I was going to come. I thrust hard and buried myself to the hilt inside her cool throbbing pussy as I shot my come deep inside Bella. The orgasm ripped through me and I felt my cock pulse as my hot juice spurted into her.

Bella was panting hard as our orgasms rocked through us, and then we started to come back to ourselves. She twisted back to face me again and I held her face and kissed her while we were still joined together with my hips pressed tight against hers.

After a minute, I pulled out slowly and looked down into Bella's eyes as she turned to face me. I was spent but I pulled her into my arms and held her close. I saw her inhale deeply and stretch languorously, as she enjoyed the blissful peace of the connection we shared. My lips found hers and our tongues swirled together as we shared the closeness of the moment.

"I love you too, Bella…" I said when she pulled back and broke our kiss. "I just need you so much. I don't want you to think it's just the sex. I need to be that close to you now too, but I love everything about you. Who you are, what you are, how you make me feel, you're my life now Bella.

"I needed this Edward…" she looked down a little sheepishly. "I love you too, but I wanted this so I could get through game tonight…"

"And what's your excuse for every other day of the week, love?"

"Just because I love you, it makes the rest of my day easier. I suppose we should get going so we get to class on time. Wouldn't do to have people talk…"

"Not much chance of avoiding that, love, but the newness will wear off for the kids here soon enough."

"And the newness isn't going to wear off for you?" She asked looking down, away from my eyes.

I caressed her jaw and lifted her chin in my hand to look back into her beautiful ochre eyes. "Never, love, you are my world now, and every second that you are in my world is perfect and amazing. I'm keeping you. You can't get rid of me that easily."

I leaned in and kissed her again, and then we really did need to get going.

The moment passed and we had to deal with reality again. There was no clock on the wall, but we knew how short our lunch break was. We still had to deal with the sticky wet and get cleaned up before we went back to class.

Luckily whoever had setup the ceramic heater for us had left a bag with some towels, and I helped Bella wipe up the excess juices and fluids running down the inside of her thigh. She was neat and tidy again before she pulled her panties and shorts back on, and smoothed her pleated skirt down over her thighs.

Bella took particular pleasure in making sure I was cleaned up, and I think she was jealous of the towel. I was sure her tongue would have done a much more through job, but then we'd have been late for chemistry class.

I was thinking that Bella had probably enlisted Bree as her partner in crime to help setup these rendezvous for our lunchtime trysts. I couldn't see her getting Diego or Jasper to help with the setup or cleanup. Somebody had setup the heater and left the towels, and would likely remove them and repair the damage while we were in class. Maybe it was somebody on Jasper's crew, but I doubted it. What was the use of having a crew if you couldn't give them some jobs to take care of?

We made it back to the main building on campus in time to stop in the restrooms and wash up to make sure everything was presentable, and then walked into AP Chemistry holding hands. Mr. Banner gave us a disapproving look as though that simple public display of affection was pushing the limits of decency, but we ignored him, signed in and went to our seats.

Alice dashed into AP Chemistry slightly out of breath and flushed apparently from running or possibly doing the same things during lunch that Bella and I had. She ducked into the room right before the bell and made her way to her seat. I chuckled under my breath, and Bella elbowed me lightly in the ribs, but she was smiling contentedly when I glanced over at her.

Chemistry was uneventful as we sat close together holding hands and listened to the lecture. We didn't try to talk because we were trying to avoid Mr. Banner's attention. He almost never changed his seating chart, and it was typically a given that it would remain constant throughout the year. About the only thing that would make him change it was exactly what was going on with Bella and me. If he decided that our relationship was too much of a distraction to our attention to class, he might possibly make changes in the seating chart. Now that Alice was leaving, he could move one of us to sit with Jessica, and neither of us wanted that.

Bella and I said our goodbyes in the hallway after Chemistry. I knew I wouldn't see her again until I got to Rainier for the football game, and then she'd only be able to slip away for a couple of minutes to be with me. There would be people watching constantly, and we had to act like normal kids. People knew she was my girlfriend, but we had to keep thing toned down to what was publicly acceptable when we were in public. I still kissed her goodbye in the hallway and she hugged me tight before Alice and Jessica dragged her away.

US History II was quiet but I was already starting to miss Bella before the class was over. Alice wasn't in class today. She was skipping last hour along with the rest of the cheerleaders and football team to leave on the bus to drive to the football game in Rainier. I knew it was worse for her because she was separated from Jasper all day long except for lunch. Fridays were worse because instead of dashing home to see him after cheerleading practice, she had to go out with the cheerleaders to the football games.

I had already told Coach Newhouse that I wouldn't be at Cross Country practice today because of the football game. I was the only student at Forks high school that was going to State after the funeral on Thursday. Katy had been a favorite to make it to State, and both of us would have likely gone on to the State finals, but she was presumed dead in the accident with Michaela. The season was over for the rest of the team, but some of them still came to practice in the afternoons so I wouldn't have to run alone.

Jasper was waiting for me in the driver seat of the Volvo when I walked out to the parking lot. I was ready to leave for the day, and didn't need to go to my locker first. I slipped into the passenger seat without complaint. I knew by now that he'd get us there faster than I could drive. I gave Bree and a Diego a quiet greeting where they were crouched down in the back seat of the car, and Jasper pulled out of the lot as soon as I had the door shut.

I fastened my seat belt and settled in for the long drive south. It was a good two hours or so south to Aberdeen before we'd stop so I could get something to eat, and then another hour and a half east until we got to Rainier. We'd make it there before the game started, but not by much.

The football game was fun, and we had a good time despite the fact that I was mostly separated from Bella and had to watch her from a distance like the rest of the crowd. Bree and Diego weren't too obtrusive as far as body guards went, and followed my orders like they were from Bella, but I knew better than to take chances. Jasper had more people watching us anyhow, so it was easy to relax and watch Bella while the game played in the background.

She was able to slip away for a couple of minutes after the halftime show, but we just ducked out of sight for a few minutes of alone time. We didn't have time for a repeat of our lunch time antics, but it just felt so good to be able to hold her and kiss her and feel her body pressed up against mine.

"How are you holding up, love?" I asked once we were alone together and her lips moved off of mine long enough to let me catch my breath.

"Ok. I thought I was going to go crazy on that damn bus on the trip out. It drives so slowly, but I felt better after Jasper caught up and I could feel you were nearby."

"What are we going to do next week when I have to go to State Cross Country? It's a seven hour drive to Pasco, and I'm supposed to stay overnight before the race."

"Don't worry; Esme and Carlisle are working on a plan. It should be ok since it's just you and not the whole team. Now kiss me, and then I need to get back."

I didn't argue, and held her tight as my lips found hers and her tongue slipped between my lips to dance with mine. The kiss deepened and became more passionate. I was temped to sweep her into my arms and carry her out to the car, second half be damned, and then I heard somebody clearing their throat.

Jessica had found us, and was waiting impatiently to drag Bella away for the squads next set to cheer for the football team. Despite Bella's wishes, we were winning, and had a good shot to go to the playoffs.

Bella reluctantly pulled away and turned to walk back to the game with Jessica.

"Seriously, you two need to get a room…" Jessica said as they walked away.

"You know, I was thinking the same thing, Jess." Bella chuckled as she followed her back out onto the field.

"Well, at least your boyfriend comes to the games to watch."

"Yeah, but you get to ride on the bus with Mike."

"Eww… and smell him all the way home too! He better take a shower this time, or I am so kicking his butt…"

I sighed and made my back up into the stands. Diego shadowed me as I climbed back up to my seat.

"So, how'd it go Romeo?" Diego asked.

"As well as can be expected. I'll be glad when football season is over."

"Hehe, yeah, then you two can ride the bus together to go to Wrestling meets. 'Course the more interestin' wrestlin' is before and after the meet I guess, knowin' you two, eh jefe? I'll miss riding to these football games with you."

"Yeah, you two seemed to be enjoying yourselves on the ride out. There better not be any stains on my seats, or you are so cleaning it up."

"You know I'm sitting right here." Bree said as I sat back down in my seat. If she could blush, I'm sure she would be.

"Hey, talk to your boyfriend. If he can tease me, then you better get used to it, or kick his butt."

"Hell, I'm not about to tease you too. 'Course I could with everything Bella's been having me do, but I'd prefer to enjoy my illusion of privacy. As if that'll ever happen again…"

"God, the four of you are as bad as Emmett." Jasper sighed, but he had a grin on his face.

We all just laughed and settled in for the second half. Either Jasper was oblivious to the lipstick stains on his collar, or he was just playing along. Or maybe Alice had seen this and it was her way of getting in on the joke.

Our guys ended up winning the game. If they won next week, then the season would be extended by the playoffs. This was Alice's last game regardless. Alice was done at Forks high school at the end of the next week, and would sign out of her classes next Friday. Bella was skipping next week's game to go to State Cross Country to watch me run. We'd be leaving Friday night for the seven hour drive to Pasco and then stay overnight for the race on Saturday. Alice would stay with Jasper in Seattle on the trip back home.

The trip back to Forks was uneventful. Alice and Bella had to ride on the bus with the team, and Bree and Diego took advantage of the backseat again on the trip back to Forks. I suppose if Bella was living out her high school fantasy by being a student, I really couldn't get mad at my supposed bodyguards taking advantage of an opportunity to act like teenagers. Jasper had his guys in the forest around us, and something would have to go seriously wrong for them to have to step in and save my butt.

I took advantage of the fact that I could still sleep while we followed the bus back to Forks, and took a nap. I'd be able to stay up later once we got home that way. Bree and Diego bailed out of the car a block from the school, and then Jasper and I went to pick up Alice and Bella. I let Alice take over shotgun, and Bella and I cuddled in the back during the short trip back to the house.

The weekend and the following week of school flew by in a blissful haze as Bella and I fell into our routine. Alice got her things packed during the week, and all of us helped load up the truck that Jasper hired, but Bella and Jasper did most of the actual hauling and made short work of the packing. At the end, she was left with a couple of suitcases of clothes, and all of her things were already in Seattle waiting for her.

The State Cross Country Meet was in the back of my head, but I'd just take it as it came. I kept practicing, and I was as ready as I could get. Either I'd win or I wouldn't. I was more worried about the logistics of how we'd get there, and how long I'd have to be separated from Bella. I knew it was silly to worry. It was only two days, and Alice had been forced to put up with a lot worse before I got on board with all of this, but now that I was, the thought of being away from Bella for that long was distressing.

Esme came up with the solution, and it was something simple and obvious. The school athletic activity manual stated that if a student waned to travel to and from a sporting event in the company of a parent or guardian instead of with the school appointed chaperones, then they had to ask the athletic director at the school twenty-four hours in advance in writing. Esme simply had Carlisle write a letter to the school asking if I could ride with my family to the Cross Country Meet, and my family would pay for the hotel accommodations out of their own pocket. The school accepted because it was just me and not the whole team traveling together.

Esme made our hotel reservations. There was a Red Lion Inn almost on the grounds of the golf course where the State Meet would be held, and Esme pulled some strings to reserve rooms for all of us. We made arrangements to meet Coach Newhouse for breakfast before we went to the venue for the meet on Saturday morning.

I wasn't sure what arrangements Jasper made for the rest of his crew, but we had four rooms all together on our hallway. Esme got Bree and Diego a room next to ours. Bella wanted them close, but not so close she was willing to share a room with either of them. The story was that Bella and Alice were sharing, and Jasper was supposed to be in with me, but in reality it was the four couples. Nobody but our party even knew that Bree and Diego were with us.

The school allowed me to leave at noon on Friday so I would get to Pasco a little earlier. Alice just went around and had Mr. Banner and Mr. Abrams sign her out early, and she was done with Forks high school. Bella would have just skipped, but there was another pleasant development for her.

Esme had Jaspers legal contacts prepare adoption papers for Bella so Esme could be her legal guardian while she was playing at maintaining the teenager façade. Copies were filed with the school by the attorneys, and Esme simply wrote Bella a note telling them that she was going to the State Cross Country Meet. It was still an unexcused absence, but there wasn't anything truly important scheduled for this Friday since all the football players and cheerleaders would be gone anyhow. The teachers knew better than to schedule a test when a good fourth of the class was gone. It would have minimal impact on her grades. She'd already read all the textbooks, and with perfect recall, she had effectively memorized them.

We left for Pasco after fourth period on Friday at noon. Everything was packed and we were ready to go. Carlisle rode with Esme. Bree and Diego rode with me and Bella. We took to Volvo this time, but I let Bella drive so we'd get there faster. Alice rode with Jasper in the black Mercedes sedan with a couple of Jasper's boys along for protection. Jasper probably had more guys shadowing us, but they had to skirt around the towns when we passed through cities. Of course nothing was likely to happen in a city where there were potential witnesses.

The trip down was uneventful. We stopped in Seattle for dinner to feed the humans. Esme and Jasper checked in on business, and then we were back on the road headed southeast into the Tri-City Metro area along the Columbia River.

We could have flown into Pasco from Port Angeles, but we needed to stop in Seattle to check in anyhow, and we'd be returning back there after the cross country meet on Saturday. Bella and I had some more interviews to do, and we wanted to have some time to say goodbye to Alice. She'd only be three hours away and we'd be visiting often, but it was the first time we'd be separated since we were ten, and I was going to miss her.

We checked in to the hotel and found our rooms. Bella went in first before she'd let me follow. I had to stand in the hall with Alice, Carlisle and Esme, and Bree to watch us while the others checked the rooms. I thought it was silly, but then Bella called me in a minute later and said it was ok.

"What exactly is it that you're expecting to find hidden in a hotel room at the Red Lion Inn, love?" I asked when she let me into the room.

"Anything that might be a threat. If there had been another vampire in here in the last couple of days, we'd know it, and probably who it was from the scent. This is a pretty high end room, so it wouldn't just be some random nomad. Most explosives and poisons have distinctive scents that we'd recognize."

"So I take it the room is clean?"

"Well, as clean as any human cleaning crew could get it, but clean is a relative term. Let's just say it's safe and leave it at that."

"What do you mean? I don't understand?"

I'd noticed Bella was something of neat freak over the last couple of weeks. The house had never been so clean since Bella and Esme had moved in. I wasn't exactly one to simply throw my things down on the floor, but I'd go to sleep at night, and my dirty clothes would disappear. My room was now a marvel of organization and neat as a pin. I'd thought it was because Bella was bored at night when I went to sleep, but maybe there was more to it.

Even dressing casual and wearing jeans and a nice top, I could tell all of Bella's, Bree's and Diego's clothes were expensive and high end name brands or designer stuff. Jasper had a thing for thousand dollar Italian suits when he wasn't working at fitting in. Esme was always in something very nice, and probably designer, whenever she wasn't making a conscious effort to blend in. I thought it was just enjoying the money at first, but maybe it was all related.

Bella locked the door and we moved our bags onto the rack provided for them. It wasn't worth unpacking because we were only staying the one night and we'd check out before we went to breakfast in the morning. We cuddled on the bed and got more comfortable once we were settled to continue our conversation.

"Well, you know about the enhanced senses." Bella continued. "The obvious one that you have to deal with most often is our hearing, and you hear us talking about our sense of smell and reacting to scents. The less obvious fact is that all of our senses are enhanced. We see more, and feel more than you do too."

"I can see every mote of dust hanging in the air in this room, see the residue of every stain on the carpet, bed, walls, and tables, and I could probably tell you what they are from their individual scents. This room isn't too disgusting to stay in for one night, but it's an expensive hotel. They don't skimp on the maid service or cleaning supplies. The linens have been laundered and sterilized."

"That's why the house is so clean now? You can see more, so you see the dirt we thought we had cleaned up. Is that why you're so neat? Is there any truth to the myth about scattering mustard seeds or toothpicks around a vampires coffin? The legend says you'd be constrained to count them all before you could pass, and get caught by the sun."

"Well, first off there are no coffins and getting caught in the sun wouldn't be too bad. It's not like we'd actually have to count every seed or toothpick, but that kind of mess is very distracting to us. We're very organized and neat creatures by nature. We'd feel somewhat compelled to pick up that kind of mess if it was something we had to deal with where we lived. Not so much so that it would prevent us from surviving, but it would get our attention. We are able to move through the forest at a run after all, and we don't stop to count each leaf. Although I could probably tell you how many threads are in your sheets, and how many of them are broken, frayed or torn."

"So that's why you all wear expensive clothes too, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I had to give in after I was changed. I was always a Walmart kind of girl, well goodwill if truth be told, but we can see and feel every flaw in the clothes we wear and feel the quality of the fabrics. Generally cotton isn't too terribly bad, once you get used to it again, but the higher end fabrics and higher quality clothes are much more comfortable for us. Polyester and a lot of the synthetics are just plain disgusting. They don't feel right, and the chemical stench is too horrible to describe."

"So will I have to replace much of my wardrobe then? Alice is always trying to get me to dress nicer."

"Well, not because of your choice in clothes or fabrics. Alice has done pretty good there. I'm sure she'll have little trouble fitting in with Rose and Esme. In fact, she'll probably even have a thing or two to teach Rose about fashion. No, size and fit will be the bigger issue."

"My clothes won't fit anymore? Why is that?"

"There are physical changes during the change, so a lot of your clothes might not fit right anymore. You could probably still wear a lot, but they wouldn't feel right. Besides, if we wait until after graduation, you'll probably fill out some more and end up replacing most of your clothes, anyhow."

"Don't you like me the way I am now?"

"You're perfect now, but it'll be easier to fit in if you look older. Trust me, I know. Being a teenager forever isn't all it's cracked up to be. I can do a lot with makeup and clothes, but I still can't pass for more the early twenties without hours in a makeup chair, and that sucks unless it's really necessary."

"Yeah, I can see that. That's gotta really suck for Bree. How old is she for real?"

"Well, looking young can have advantages too. She was only about fifteen when she was turned, but she's almost twenty-five now. That's about as young as you can get turned and not run into trouble with the Volturi. Any younger, and you start running into Immortal Child prejudice."

"And Diego?" I asked.

"I thought you would have asked him by now. You two seem to get along pretty good."

"He interesting, and I used to hang out with guys like him when I lived in California. I didn't want to pry… Wasn't it on his application?"

"They don't fill out applications, Edward. This isn't that kind of job. They gave their oath, and they're with us for good now, unless they betray us, or we cut them loose. That usually gets messy. You get a good feel for the two of them, right?"

"Yeah, they're solid. Diego is a stand up guy, and Bree's cool. I get a good feeling about both of them. Just didn't feel like prying into they're private lives unless they volunteered something, but you know, right?"

"Yeah, it's part of the standard interview. They gotta give their history, and at least hit the high points so I know what to expect going in. You know, when they were turned, who sired them, any vendettas or major enemies we should know about."

"I guess there's no sense borrowing trouble. So there's a reason you need to know all of this?"

"Uh huh, it's important because the oath works both ways. It's kind of like swearing fealty in the old days with knights and barons and stuff like that. They swear to serve me and be true to their word, but I have to swear to support them and protect them from their enemies too. Luckily they don't have too much baggage, so it's a good deal for both of us."

"No baggage, so he's young too? At least in the vampire sense that is…"

"Yeah, that's the advantage of recruiting young. He's pretty close to his physical age too. He was eighteen when he was turned, but he's twenty-six now."

"Ok, I see the advantage in recruiting young. No entanglements with rival clans, no baggage as you say with vendettas or enemies. Our enemies become their enemies, and we just have to share the wealth so to speak. Besides, you're a rising star so if you do good, they do good. What's the downside?"

"They're still green. I still have a lot of training to do to get them up to speed. Not that they can't defend themselves or us. They're good and have tons of potential, but you pick up a lot of tricks as you go, and there's no substitute for age and experience. Some things just take time to sink in."

"So what do we do to even the odds? You know, give us an edge or a fighting chance to survive in this business?"

"Well first off we avoid fighting unless it's necessary, and when we do, we setup the conditions so we have an advantage. We fight when we can win, and run when we can't. 'Course the other guys are playing by the same rules, and runnin' doesn't gain you anything if you get a rep for backin' down. Sometimes you need to make a stand even if the odds are against you, so that's where the next part comes in. We recruit some experience and reduce the chance of the odds being against us."

"We can do that? I thought we were in a world of hurt. Someone will still throw in with us? Got anyone in mind?"

"All of the families have somebody that doesn't like them. There's strength in numbers, and you know what they say, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. Fu Chang Hong has a lot of enemies. Some that're looking for a shot, some just lookin' to move up the ranks. There're a lot of independents that think it's high time the Moreno's built up their own enforcement arm, instead of relying on the Volturi so heavily. They'll join us."

"So you have prospects? Someone we need to talk to?"

"Sunday in Seattle, We'll stop by the club and talk to some people. Jasper wants to pull his people off of guard duty and get them back to work, so we need to get on with the recruiting. There are a couple of people Bree recommended that came up from down south, so they don't have ties around here yet. The others are some that Jasper recommended."

We settled in and Bella let me get some sleep. I was tired after the seven hour drive, even with the break in Seattle for dinner. I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

We were up early and got dressed for breakfast and packed up to check out. Coach Newhouse met us downstairs in the hotel restaurant for breakfast, and then all of us checked out. Bree and Diego stayed close, but didn't sit with us, or acknowledge that they were with us. They were back on guard duty.

The races were being run on the Sun Willows golf course, but the race officials and pictures were setup in one of the meeting rooms here in the hotel. We'd already taken our bags out to the car when we checked out, so we walked with Coach Newhouse to go check in with the officials, get a program and check the schedule.

Coach Newhouse got me checked in, and then I had to get in line to have an official picture taken. If our team had come, it would have been a team picture, but since I was an individual qualifier, it would be an individual picture. After that we had a long wait ahead of us until my race was called.

Forks was a 1A school, and there were four classes. The 4A schools would run girls and boys races first, and then the 3A schools, and then 2A. Finally sometime this afternoon, I'd get my chance to run in the last race of the day.

If they kept to the schedule, and started all the races on time, I'd get to run sometime around one or two o'clock this afternoon. Maybe we shouldn't have checked out of the room. Of course we had the coach with us now, so we had to be good. Anyhow, I had four or five hours until I needed to start warming up for the race.

We left the cars at the hotel, and walked to the starting area of the race out on the golf course. Bella, Alice and I walked the course to learn the lay of the land, while Jasper took Bree and Diego on a security sweep to check in with the rest of the teams.

It was dryer here in the eastern part of Washington. It didn't rain as much, and it looked like they used a lot of irrigation for agriculture, but it was the end of October and the morning was overcast with steel gray sky's. If the sun decided to come out later, Bella and the others might have to stay inside or disappear until we were ready to leave. We mingled and watched the races for the other classes. Alice looked a little agitated, and slipped off with Jasper for awhile. Finally it was time for me to change and start warming up for the race.

Bella helped me with my stretches. She'd been working with me these last couple of weeks, and she knew how to help out now without hurting me. She paced me while I jogged and did some warm up runs and run outs. We all headed over to the starting line when they started to stage my race. Only Coach Newhouse was allowed into the actual starting bracket. The rest of the group took up positions at the edge of the course to watch the start of the race. I did a couple more run outs to get ready, and then they were calling for sweats off.

Alice and Jasper had rejoined the group while I was taking off my sweats. She had calmed down, but Jasper had a look of stoic resolve on his face. Something was up, but they weren't moving to stop me from running. I had to assume that whatever was going on wasn't going to affect me or Bella directly. At least not until the race was over. I pushed it away, and just thought about running. That was my job right now. We were acting normal and going on with our lives. We couldn't change everything overnight, or people would notice and talk. Right now, I had a race to run. That was my part of acting normal.

The starting gun fired, and I put everything I had into the race. I was in my zone and let my legs drive me around the course. This might very well be the last time I'd get to run in a race like this, and make an honest effort to win.

Part of acting normal was not standing out, and I'd worked hard to stand out from the crowd. I was state champion in two sports, but that was going to have to change. Jasper and I had talked. I had a winning season, and I'd worked hard for this race. He wasn't going to ask me to lose. But he had explained that I was going to have to drop out of the public eye.

Wrestling season was a good opportunity to make that happen. I could start off strong and act normal, but at some point this season, I was going to 'get injured'. Nothing serious, or even real, but some injury that would end my season, and maybe keep me from going to the state finals.

If Bella and I moved this summer, and did continue high school someplace else, I probably would simply avoid sports altogether. It would give me more time to focus on finishing school, and spend more time with Bella. Besides, I had a lot to learn about the business, and all of the training that went along with that. Physical skills that I learned now would stay with me after the change, and a basic grounding in firearms and how to use the sword would pay off in the long run.

The cheering broke me out of my reverie. I had been lost in my musings and running on autopilot, just following the golf cart around the track. I simply concentrated on trying to catch the leader golf cart, and they had accelerated to maintain the gap. We were coming up on the finish now, and there was nobody between me and the golf cart. I realized now that I had been pushing the golf cart to make them go faster than they normally would have.

I didn't want to take a chance on looking back to see how close the rest of the pack was. I just ran like hell and started into the funnel at the end of the race. Carlisle and Esme were waiting to cheer me on, and Alice was there with Jasper, but I ran into Bella's arms. Alice was on edge, and Jasper was wary, but I didn't let it affect my mood. I reveled in the excitement of the win and the beautiful girl that was holding me.

We moved away from the finish line as the rest of the runners started to come in. The second and third runners collapsed, dropped to their knees and retched on the ground. The fourth runner collapsed, and the medics rushed over to check on him, but he was ok. I didn't want to think I was special, or brag, but maybe I did have a gift for running. I was tried, but I wasn't ready to collapse or puke. I'd given it my all, but I was still on my feet, and walking under my own power. The medics had to help the first couple of runners out of the way so they didn't get run over by the rest of the finishers.

I had always excelled at sports and most physical activities that I tried my hand at. It was a little intimidating that Bella and all of her friends and associates were so far beyond me in their abilities. I liked winning because it was something I was good at, but it was something I was willing to give up to have Bella in my life.

Jasper had shared the theory that those things that we were gifted at in our human lives were enhanced and carried over into our new lives. If that was true, then maybe I'd be fast as a vampire. That would be something I'd like very much.

The State Cross Country meet was wrapping up now that the final race was won. There were more pictures, and the awards ceremony. I got a medal for first place, and Coach Newhouse got a trophy to take back to the school to be displayed in the trophy case in the gym lobby. I took a shower in the hotel and got changed into street clothes. We said our goodbyes to the coach, and made our way out to the cars to leave. Most of the people were gone by the time we were heading out, and the traffic had died down.

Jasper called us all together for a conference before we left. Bree and Diego rejoined the group, and I could tell they were being more alert than usual. Something was up. I knew there was a reason why Alice was agitated earlier. I supposed I would find out now.

"Ok, everyone pay attention. Alice has seen some disturbing developments. We think the Fu's are going to try something on the trip back to Seattle. They haven't been pushing too hard while we were in Forks, but that's why we picked it for a safe house in the first place. Even if they found us, they couldn't cause too much of a stir so close to La Push without bringing the Volturi down on their heads. Things are different now."

"Different how?" Carlisle asked, but the rest of us already knew.

"Well, for one thing, we're on the other side of the State. We're not practically living on the treaty line, and if they're going to make a move against us, this is the last chance they'll have when they know we'll all be together and vulnerable like this. They've got to know that Alice has checked out of school and is moving to Seattle."

"Ok, so what do we do now?" I asked. "Why don't we change our plans and fly into Seattle. If they have an ambush setup, then they must have committed a lot of resources. They can't be strong enough to cover both approaches. If we switch, we'll avoid them altogether."

"No, we act normal and drive to Seattle. Our security forces are alerted, and we have extra guards from Seattle coming out to meet us. We don't want to clue them into Alice's ability. The longer we can keep that secret the better. If we get hit, bunker down and wait for the cavalry to arrive. Hopefully they'll think it's just good planning on our part or that maybe we have a mole in their organization."

"I don't like this," Esme said. "We're too vulnerable like this. You should have let me turn Carlisle when I wanted to, and we'd be safe in Alaska right now."

"Don't worry, Esme. You and Carlisle will be safe soon, and I'll be safe in Seattle with Jasper." Alice said. "Bella and Edward will be alright in Forks as long as they stay vigilant. This will all work out now. Just follow the plan." Then Alice turned to Carlisle. "I love you dad." She said and hugged him goodbye in an uncharacteristic show of emotion.

Esme nodded. She had come to trust Alice over the last several weeks. She trusted her gift, and if Alice said it would work out, she accepted it.

We dispersed to the cars and started to pile in. Bella stopped me, and reached into the car. She handed me the bulletproof vest I'd worn home from Seattle before, and Bree and Diego watched for danger while I took off my jacket and strapped it on. I saw Carlisle going through a similar procedure out of the corner of my eye, but he was making more of a fuss.

"Is this really necessary? I don't really see why I need to wear this. I thought Jasper said we'd be ok? You're the true love of my life, Esme, but all this cloak and dagger stuff grates on my nerves. I'm really not cut out for this kind of life."

"It'll be ok, Carlisle, dear. Let's just get home in one piece, and then next week we can get away to Chicago and go look at those buildings my agent recommended. We'll be fine."

Carlisle nodded and shrugged into the bullet proof vest, and then put his shirt and jacket back on over it. He got into the passenger seat of the fiery red Mercedes convertible, and the rest of us piled into our cars to start the trip back to Seattle.

We drove out of town with Jasper and Alice in the lead in the big black Mercedes sedan. Carlisle and Esme were in the middle because it was just the two of them in the car without any guards. Bella and I brought up the rear, and Bree and Diego rode with us. I tried to stay attentive, and watch for danger, but it had been a long day and I was worn out from the race. It was still a three and a half hour drive back to Seattle.

The day was ending as we passed into twilight and the sun sank into the west. We'd driven through Yakima and were winding through the mountain passes on the last leg of interstate 82 heading north before we'd turn west onto interstate 90. There was still enough light out that the guards paralleling our course had to range pretty far a field to avoid being seen by other motorists. The terrain was open and arid high desert along this stretch of deep ravines and mountain passes. The road was often divided with the road bed for the traffic in the opposite direction separated from us by hundreds of yards. We were as alone as we were likely to be on this trip. There was no traffic behind us, and none ahead as far as the eye could see. If something was going to happen, this was the spot for it.

Suddenly the twilight was split by an angry hiss like a giant cat pouncing on a rat. A streak of light flashed across the road in front of us and slammed into the side on Esme's Mercedes. There was no explosion, but I felt the concussion shockwave radiate back towards us, and then the car was flipping off the roadway towards the ravine like a toy tossed away by a giant angry child. The front driver side wheel bounced off the hood of the Volvo with a thud and cracked the windshield as it flipped over the top of the car.

"What the fuck was that!" I yelled.

"LAW rocket," Diego said. "Light Anti-tank Weapon. It's a disposable man portable rocket launcher. Kinda like a single use disposable bazooka. These are some hardcore bitches, Capo."

I expected Bella to slam on the breaks and skid to a stop, but her foot punched down on the accelerator and the car leapt forward. There was another hiss and streak of light behind us. It passed through the spot where we would have been if she'd have stopped like I expected. Jasper's car was stopped off the side of the road ahead of us behind the cover of some boulders. I just made out the blur of his guards moving out to flank our attackers.

Bella spun the car off the road into the cover, and then turned to us. "Guard Edward. I'm going to help Jasper and the guards."

"What about Carlisle and Esme?" I asked.

"First we secure our position. Then we'll see if they made it out of the car." Her comment was punctuated by the soft 'whump' of an explosion vibrating through the ground only to be followed by the fireball rising out of the ravine from the gas tank of the red Mercedes going up.

Bella was out of the car before I could respond, and then she vanished into the lowering night. My door opened, and Diego was dragging me out of the car, making sure I kept my head down. Bree was with Alice, and they stayed with us in the rocks while we waited.

The darkening twilight was shattered by the staccato rattle of automatic weapon fire followed up by the three round bursts of small arms fire. The clash of steel on steel rang through the darkness in the distance.

"Damn it, I can't see anything from here!" I exclaimed. I didn't really care about watching. I wanted to keep Bella safe, but I knew I was more liability than help right now.

"We're winning." Diego said, watching over the top of the rocks. "They didn't expect us to react so quickly or be so prepared. Jasper and his guards pinned them, then the Capo hooked up with one of the field teams and took them from the rear. They fucked them up good, but that red-headed bitch and the blond guy got away… Hang on, here comes the Capo."

"Ok, we've got'em pinned down. Once Emmett shows up with the household guard, we can finish this and leave. James got away. That red-headed mate of his must have some kind of gift for evasion. We had'em cold, but they got through our line."

"Bella, we have to check on Carlisle…" I said again.

"Are you sure you want to see this? I can go check…"

"He's my father! Why are you even asking? Let's go!"

"Alice?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Diego, bring her. Bree, cover us. Let's go."

Bella didn't quite pick me up, but we moved to the edge of the ravine faster than I would have on my own. She stayed low, and we kept behind cover when we could. Then we were moving down the steep embankment along the wall of the ravine. It was a natural gully between two steep hillsides, and I could see the burning wreckage of the Mercedes at the bottom. It was too dark and far away for me to pick out detail, but Bella angled away from the wreck, and made her way toward a group of rocks twenty or thirty yards away from the wreck.

I heard Bella's mouth click shut as her teeth ground together, and her chest stopped moving. I knew she wasn't breathing. She had impeccable control, so it had to be bad if she felt the need to hold her breath. Bree and Diego hung back, their eyes scanning to watch for trouble. Alice ran forward into the rocks, and I heard her gasp and sob.

Esme was cradling Carlisle's head as she held him. His legs were twisted at an odd angle, and I knew his back was broken. The vest was open and she'd sealed most of the wounds, but there was a jagged chunk of metal protruding from his chest. He was still breathing, but even I could hear the ragged bubble of his labored breath as dark blood oozed from the wound.

"He wanted to wait for you," Esme said, "but we don't have much time."

"Edward… Alice…" Carlisle gasped softly as foamy red spittle trailed from his mouth.

"Don't try to talk dad," Alice said. "We're here. You'll be ok."

There was the sound of boots on the gravel behind us, but I didn't look to see who it was. Bree or Diego would have warned us if it was an enemy.

"I needed to tell you how much I love you, before it was too late. Edward my son and Alice my daughter, you're my family… Esme… I love you…"

"Esme, you have to do it now," Jasper said behind me. "If his heart stops, it'll be too late…"

"I know… I was scared. I've been running clubs for over eighty years, but I wanted you here to make sure I stop. Help me Jasper."

"You can do this, Esme. I know you can. You're strong enough."

Esme nodded. "Wait until his heart is strong enough, and then pull out the steel."

Jasper nodded and prepared himself.

Esme bent over Carlisle like she was going to kiss him, but I saw her too white teeth sink into the flesh of his neck. After a minute she pulled away and laid Carlisle down on the ground, and systematically moved to all the exposed pulse points, the insides of the elbows and his wrists. Jasper was watching with a serious look, and then nodded to Esme.

"Ready? You'll have to be quick."

She took a deep unnecessary breath, and then nodded her head. Jasper's hand closed on the jagged chunk of steel in Carlisle's chest, and yanked it out. There was a fountain of blood, and Carlisle's body jerked like he'd been shocked. His back arched off the ground, but he didn't scream. Then Esme's hands were on the wound staunching the flow of blood. She leaned in and kissed the wound closed sealing it as she injected venom into the gash.

Esme sat up again, but she had a guarded smile on her face.

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked.

"Yes, he'll be fine in another three days," Jasper said, "But he won't be human. We had to turn him to save him. His injuries were too severe. He would have died if we tried to move him."

I nodded, accepting the fact. I knew that was what they were doing, although I'd never personally witnessed the procedure. Carlisle would be ok with this. I knew that he had accepted that this would happen eventually ever since he had met and bonded with Esme. This was going to change a lot of our plans. I turned to look at Alice. She sat quietly as silent tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn't really seem too terribly upset.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you." I accused her.

She nodded, and looked away.

"Alice, you could have stopped this! It didn't have to happen like this!"

Alice turned back to face me, but she had a determined look on her face now.

"Yes, it did. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you Edward. It changes the future if too many people know. They make changes, and I'm sorry, but my mind doesn't react fast enough to allow for all of those changes yet. Maybe after I'm turned, then I'll be able to handle things differently, but until then we have to stick to the plan. I can see a way through this now, but if we try and change too much, it makes it harder."

She glanced over her shoulder and looked up past the edge of the ravine. I followed her gaze, and I could still make out the inky black and purple plume of smoke from vampires burning against the darkening sky.

"Carlisle will be alright. He wanted to be turned. It had to happen like this. This hurt the Fu's more than it did us. We become less vulnerable and stronger, while they lose soldiers."

"Bella and I can't stay in Forks if Carlisle and Esme leave. We discussed this. What will we do now? Carlisle won't be able to be around people for at least a year now."

"I think dad will surprise you, Edward. I don't think he'll need a year before he can be around people again. As for Forks, we'll find you a guardian to keep up appearances, and Esme will visit often enough to keep up the façade. How often do you see the other kids at schools parents anyhow? Nobody but his patients will miss him. He'll be away on business, a new investment opportunity out of state."

A huge dog-like shape came bounding up towards us as Alice was talking and it ducked behind the boulders. A few seconds later, one of the tall russet skinned guards I'd seen in the club in Seattle walked out wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Jasper stood up to face him.

The guard nodded to Jasper. "Major, Emmett sends his regards and says we need to clear out now. The situation is under control, but there are State Troopers headed this way from Yakima. Somebody must have called in the smoke from the car wreck, or the gun shots."

"Ok, we're done here. Make sure everything is cleaned up from the fighting. Make sure there isn't so much as a bullet casing left lying on the ground. Scatter the ashes when the fire burns out, and have somebody make sure all the fires are out down here."

"Yes, Sir," He said and stepped back around the boulders. Then a few seconds later, the huge wolf-like shape was bounding up the side of the ravine.

"I think we can move him now, Esme. Do you want me to take him…"

"No, I've got this," and Esme gently scooped Carlisle up off the ground and stood up.

"Put him in my car, and I'll drive you to Seattle. Bella, Edward, let's clear out. We can work out the details after we get back to the Flying Dutchman."

Jasper picked up Alice, and we moved back up the side of the ravine to the cars. Emmett's huge four wheeler was parked there on the side of the road now, and I saw more of the huge wolves milling around in the distance where the plume of inky black and violet smoke was rising into the darkening desert sky.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett greeted her with a huge smile when we were back up at the cars.

Bella just nodded to him but still had her serious expression on her face.

"Forks won Friday night," he continued. "I guess you guys are going to the playoffs after all" He said with a huge grin on his face.

Bella groaned. I knew she was looking forward to the football season being over so we could be together on Friday nights. Now she had at least another couple of weeks to go with the football cheer squad. She couldn't just quit or then she wouldn't be able to cheer for wrestling season.

I hugged her to try and cheer her up, and then I piled into the car with Bella, Bree and Diego. We got back onto the road headed north again following Jasper's big black Mercedes. Emmett brought up the rear in the Jeep and the rest of the guards scattered into the night.

"I still don't get this," I said. "If the Fu's have an advantage in numbers and are stronger than us, then why did we win? If you can call this a win."

"We knew what their plan was, so we were able to concentrate our forces and outnumber them tonight. If they would have committed more forces than the simple strike force they sent to ambush us, it would have been a lot worse. If that second rocket would have hit, then it would have been a tougher fight, but Alice warned me not to stop. We knew what was going to happen because we have Alice, so we committed our forces. We threw in everything we had, but they didn't, so we turned the tables on them."

"And sacrificed Carlisle."

"He'll be alright, Edward, and he wanted this, even if Alice didn't tell him first."

Did you know this was going to happen?"

"No. I knew about the ambush, and that we were going to try and trap them, but that's all. Alice and Jasper only told me what I needed to know."

I just nodded and settled in for the rest of the trip back to Seattle. I was upset about the damage to my car, but that was a little thing compared to what had happened. I wasn't going to act like a petulant child and bemoan the all too repairable damage to my car after what had happened tonight.

Yes, the car had been my mom's so it was special to me, but Carlisle was more important and it upset me that Alice seemed willing to sacrifice him for the sake of the bigger picture. So maybe she saw what was going to happen, but just how sure was she that everything would go according to plan? He could have just as easily died, and then we would have lost Esme too. That would have hurt a lot of people in our family. She was gambling with all of our lives.

Carlisle was still in a deathlike coma when we arrived in Seattle. I suppose not totally 'deathlike'. He was covered with a thin sheen of sweat and jerked spasmodically as though he was being shocked. Much like Katy had so many weeks back. Jasper appeared astonished that he hadn't started to scream, and they hadn't needed to gag him or tape up his mouth to stifle the screams like we'd had to with Katy. Esme carried him up to the apartments so we could decide what to do next.

"So are you going to take Carlisle to Alaska now too?" I asked when we were upstairs and we had him settled in Esme's apartment.

"I don't think so," Esme said. "Tanya and Irina have their hands full with Katy. Carmen and Eleazar help out, but they really aren't prepared to take on another newborn so soon."

"No," Alice said. "Alaska is too far out of the way, and we'll still need you in Chicago, Esme. Emmett, you have a friend in the Midwest. Somewhere in Northern Iowa, don't you? Maybe you could give him a call."

"Yeah," Emmett said. "My buddy Garrett finally gave up the nomad life and settled on a farm in Northwest Iowa. Haven't heard if he's will'n to take boarders, but he was always an even tempered sort. I don't know if he has any experience with newborns, but he's always up for a challenge."

"Good. If he is willing to let Carlisle stay, that's about six hundred miles from Chicago." Jasper said. "That should be far enough away to hide him until he can handle himself around people. You can spread your flights around, Esme, so the Fu's think you're just being sneaky and changing things up if they even care about your movements. There are major airports in Des Moines, Omaha, Minneapolis, and Chicago. The first three are all about the same distance from this safe house."

Everybody seemed to be in agreement about what to do with Carlisle. Then Jasper turned to Bella and me.

"You two are still going to stay in Forks?" He asked.

"Yes," Bella said. "We want to at least finish this school year. If we have to, we can relocate during the summer."

"Ok. You'll need to find somebody to play the part of guardian while Carlisle is incapacitated. I think a couple of the prospects you were planning on interviewing will fit the bill. Let me know who you decide on, and I'll see that the proper documents are produced."

The discussion broke up and we went up to Bella's apartment to get cleaned up from the trip. It was about nine o'clock at night, and we went down to dinner after we'd changed. Well, I went down to dinner, and Bella watched me eat. I didn't ask Alice if she wanted to join us, and we didn't see her again that weekend. I felt like Alice and I were drifting apart. We'd always been so close before, but she had completely embraced her new role in the Moreno family now.

Bella and I threw ourselves into interviewing her prospects after dinner. We'd be leaving for forks on Sunday, and Jasper was pulling his security out to help cover Seattle better, and provide guards to send east with Carlisle and Esme. Bella figured we needed at least six more in our crew besides Bree and Diego to maintain the same level of security that we'd enjoyed in Forks up until now.

I was good at reading people, and I was gratified to find out that my ability extended to vampires as well as humans. I knew the right questions to ask and appeared to be uncannily accurate at weeding out the truth. We interviewed at least a dozen prospects and chose the six we both felt most comfortable with. Bree's friends would be joining us, which made her happy. We recruited some experienced fighters that could help with training and give us an edge in a fight, and at least one of the new recruits looked old enough to play the role of my aunt. Jasper saw to the paperwork, and our cover story would be that she was coming to stay with us while Carlisle and Esme were out of town on business.

I left the Volvo in Seattle to be repaired. At first, Rosalie simply wanted to sell it for scrap and buy me a new car, but I explained the sentimental value to family. She relented and agreed to have it repaired. She gave us the keys to another black Mercedes sedan like the one Jasper used for the trip back to Forks. The guards had another couple of vehicles that they would use, but they wouldn't park them at the house. Bella would be doing most of the driving in Forks with her charger, and I had the keys to Carlisle's Lexus at the house too. It was November now, and the Harley would be in storage until spring.

Emmett left to drive Carlisle and Esme to Iowa the same time that Bella and I left to drive back to Forks. Emmett had been able to contact his friend, Garrett. He had agreed to take in Carlisle and see him through the change and help train him as a newborn. Esme went with them. She'd stay until Carlisle woke up and was settled, but then she had to go on to Chicago and see to her business. She was going to be very busy traveling over the next year. Of course, once she had apartments setup in Chicago, she could move Carlisle into them.

Bella and I would be traveling to Chicago before things got that far along. Alice was looking ahead, and Esme was finding the property and handling the contracting, but Bella and I would have to go out there and make the deal that would allow us to move our family there without fighting all the human gangs. We had time before that would happen.

For now, we drove back to Forks and settled back into our routine. It seemed strange to keep going to school everyday now that everything was so different. Alice was gone, but she was safe. Carlisle was gone, and he was adjusting to his new life. I'd talked to him on the phone after he'd woken up, but he didn't sound like Carlisle anymore. He had accepted what had happened, and was adapting remarkably well.

Bella and I stayed in my room. I didn't feel right taking over Carlisle's bedroom. Besides, we were trying to maintain the illusion that he was simply away for an extended stay out of state. We moved "Aunt Connie" into Alice's room, but she didn't spend a lot of time at the house. She was there enough to keep up appearances; otherwise she left us our privacy. None of the crew really hung out at the house, except for Bree and Diego, and then you couldn't really say they lived there, but they fit in the best with us because they looked the same age more or less. If people saw then around the house, they'd fit in.

Jasper had arranged for a couple of apartments in town for the guards use. Mainly so they'd have a place to stow gear, fresh clothes, and park their cars. They didn't need to sleep, and they lived off the land for the most part, but dry clothes and a shower were welcome amenities. They made regular trips to Seattle too on a schedule for down time and visits to the club. Bella set up a rotation so they'd all have some down time to relax from the constant guard duty. I'm sure the local merchants enjoyed the added revenue in liquor and tobacco sales from having nine vampires in town. The Fu's kept up the pressure, but they didn't come into town. This was still Moreno Turf, and they weren't pushing that hard.

Friday night was the first crossover game of the football playoffs, and we were scheduled to play Castle Rock at Castle Rock. It was a small town about the size of forks, fifty miles south of Olympia on interstate five. It was a three and a half hour drive south. We'd have to drive south to Aberdeen, and then cut southeast until we hit the interstate for the last thirty mile of the trip.

Bella was secretly hoping for a loss while cheering for the team to win. We'd only go on in the playoffs as long as we kept winning, but we could potentially play four more games and keep the football season going past Thanksgiving. Of course wrestling season wouldn't start until December fifth, but practice would start two weeks earlier.

I rode down to Castle Rock in the black Mercedes with Connie, Bree and Diego. "Aunt Connie" was really Constance Pendergraft. She was a good choice to replace Jasper on these trips out of town. She was part of the 'experience' we had recruited. She was over three hundred years old, an experienced fighter, and had a score to settle with the Fu's. She'd worked for a lot of different families over the centuries, usually as an independent. She'd thrown in with a couple of different underdog clans in the past, but unfortunately had usually guessed wrong. She thought it was high time the Moreno's stepped up, and she liked Esteban so she signed on with us.

We were all on edge after what had happened last Saturday on the trip back to Seattle from Pasco, but the trip to watch Bella cheer at the football game in Rock City was uneventful. Jasper was taking advantage of the resurgence in authority and respect from our last two wins to set thing to order in Seattle, and the Fu's had pulled some of their people off of watching us. Alice was in Seattle now in the heart of things, and Carlisle and Esme had dropped off the radar. We were still a target, but I guess we were a lower priority as long as we were just going to school and not directly involved in the Family business.

Forks beat Castle Rock twenty-eight to twenty-one. That meant another game next Friday vs. Vashon Island, but there was a minor reprieve in that it was going to be a home game and we wouldn't have to travel.

Saturday morning, it was time for me to get back to work. I needed to set up a meeting with Sam to take care of business. I driven out to La Push the last time I'd made a buy, but Sam didn't want that part of his business on the reservation. I had a feeling he didn't much want me on the reservation given who I was working for and my relationship with Bella.

I called Sam on my cell phone Saturday morning to set up the meeting. It wasn't my regular phone, but one I used strictly for business. One of the first things Bella had done was to get everyone disposable pre-paid cell phones to use for business. We used them until the service ran out, and then dumped them for a new one. I still had my regular phone to use for regular calls and texting, but the business phone was a security measure to protect us. They made our day to day business dealings less traceable.

We had enough trouble with rival clans without asking for trouble from law enforcement too. It was against the code of omerta for the Fu's to drop a dime on us. The families fought their own battles, and ratting somebody out to the cops would bring the wrath of all the families down on them, including the Volturi, but I wouldn't put it past them if they got desperate enough. The families didn't go to the cops for justice. If somebody wronged us, we handled it ourselves. Using the cops and the legal system to fight your battles for you was considered the act of a coward.

Normally, I would have cruised out to the airport on my Harley, but it was November and the weather had dropped into the cold part of the year. There were people that rode motorcycles year round out here. It rarely snowed or got cold enough for ice, but the temperatures would still drop into the forties. If you were going to ride in that kind of weather, you had to start right at the beginning of the season to acclimate, and you needed a good full body riding suit. I had the suit, but it was more hassle than it was worth. I put the Harley in storage for the winter, and I'd get it out in the spring.

We took the black Mercedes sedan to drive out to the airport for the meeting with Sam. Bella drove and Bree and Diego rode in the back. Sam knew we were all coming, and what to expect. I didn't want a repeat of the last trip where I'd taken Bella to the airport with me. This was business, and as long as we were staying in Forks, we might as well take advantage of the local business opportunities. I was getting a feel for this whole gangster thing riding in the big black car. Thankfully Bella had insisted I wear my seat belt.

We had made the turn off of the one-ten onto Quillayute Road, and were about halfway down the road out to the airport cruising through the green jungle. The huge trees flashed passed on both sides of the car and the tops nearly grew together high over the road leaving it in the perpetual shade of the forest canopy. Green ferns grew tall between the trunks of the trees and the wet misty air supported the green moss that clung to practically every surface.

We were too close to the reservation to worry about the Fu's harassing us here. Even our own guards hung back this close to the treaty line. The only reason we'd even go this close to La Push was because we were here on business.

Suddenly a huge russet brown shape hurtled out of forest and slammed into the side of the car. I was startled, but Bella had the reflexes to try and compensate and keep control of the car. It was a futile effort as the wheels broke traction with the slick pavement and the car slid sideways from the massive impact.

The black Mercedes went careening off the pavement and slammed into a tree. I was thrown rudely against my seatbelts, and then the airbag erupted in front of me to keep me from slamming into the dashboard.

I was disoriented and confused, but I tried to focus and look up to see what had caused the accident. Bella was trying to force her door open to get out of the car but it was wedged against a tree trunk. I looked out my window and I could see the huge russet brown shape crouched in the roadway, snarling and ready to charge, and I could only think of one thing.

"Jacob."

I had to get out of the car. I had to stop this. He was still upset and didn't know what he was doing. I couldn't let him get hurt, but I couldn't let him hurt Bella, either. I struggled to get out of the car. Bree and Diego were already out and were moving to block the wolf's path towards us. They didn't know who he was, and would assume he was an enemy.

"Don't hurt him!" I yelled. "That's Jacob! He doesn't know what he's doing!" This could ruin everything. Jacob wasn't working for any of the Clans as far as I knew. If he attacked us, he'd be breaking the treaty. The wolves were forbidden from hunting vampires off of the reservation unless they were working for one of the Clans. They could protect their land, but if he fought us here without sanction of one of the families, it would end the treaty.

I finally managed to get my seatbelt off and leapt out of the car in front of the angry snarling wolf. Bella followed me out of the car, and I tried to shield her body with mine. I hoped Jacob would remember our friendship and not want to attack me.

Jacob growled at me and shook his head like he wanted me to get out of the way. I knew he didn't want to hurt me. His eyes were locked on Bella and I could practically feel the hate as his huge eyes bored into her.

Bella took a step back and held up her hands to try and calm him down.

"Relax, Jacob," Bella said in a soothing voice. "Calm down, and we'll talk this out, ok?" She knew he was my friend and didn't want to hurt him if she didn't have to. I moved to place my body between her and Jacob's massive dagger like fangs while she was trying to calm him down.

Jacob wasn't listening to us. He was slavering like he was half crazed and his menacing growls were getting louder. Seeing me standing in front of Bella to protect her only seemed to make him angrier. Suddenly he lunged forward towards us. Bella jerked me out of the way and put her body between me and Jacob's vicious dagger like teeth, but he didn't make it to us.

Diego's smaller bulk collided with Jacob's massive frame, and knocked him sideways so he missed. The massive wolf went down on his shoulder, but was up in a flash as the three vampires kept a protective screen between us. He circled trying to lunge again, but Bree knocked him away this time.

He was no match for our numbers, but we'd have to hurt him to try and take him down, and we didn't want to have to fight him. Then as suddenly as he'd attacked, he backed off and crouched to the pavement. His ears were laid back against his skull and he was whimpering. His massive head turned west toward the airport, and I followed his gaze.

Another massive wolf had stepped out of the forest, but this wolf was black as night, and I knew it was Sam. He barked a command, and then Jacob was up and running southwest back into the forest. The Black wolf nodded to us once, and then disappeared into the forest. Bella relaxed and turned towards me.

"Are you ok, Edward?" Bella asked as she looked me over for injuries.

"I'm fine. What are we going to do now?"

"Diego, check the car," Bella said.

"On it, Capo," He moved to go check out the Mercedes sedan. "This ride is toast, Capo. Tree ate the radiator, and it looks like the frame is bent. We'll be lucky to sell this coche for parts."

"Ok, we'll run the rest of the way. We're almost there. Bree, call Connie and have her and Maurice come pick us up at the airport. Then call Derek and have him get this wreck off the road. C'mon, Edward. Let's go talk to Sam, and find out what the hell is going on. Diego, Cover us. Bree, wait for Derek." She nodded, and then got out her phone and started making the calls.

"Ready?" Bella asked turning to me.

"Just a second," I said. I stepped to the car and reached back inside and got the case with the cash.

"Ok, let's go." Bella swept me up into her arms and we melted into the forest with Diego on our heels.

The trees flashed past us in a green blur, and then Bella was setting me back on my feet. I could see the deserted looking buildings on the airport fringe across the highway from us. We all scanned for potential threats, but I was sure Bella and Diego could see more than I could. They both nodded, satisfied that there were no immediate threats, and we started out of the trees toward the road.

We crossed the highway and walked in among the small group of dilapidated looking warehouses. The place looked deserted, but we walked around to the front of Sam's shop. Bella and Diego kept lookout while I banged on the door of the warehouse.

"It's Edward, I'm coming in."

There was a muffled yell from inside the building, and Bella nodded. I handed her the case with the money, opened the door and walked inside.

It was a full house today. Paul and Jared were there again, but Quil and Embry were there too this time. I didn't see Jacob, and I wondered what Sam had ordered him to do.

Jared had his assault rifle aimed at my head, and Paul came up and searched me. He took my pistol and stuck it in the back of his pants.

"You can have this back when you're done talking to Sam."

I nodded, and turned to look at Jared. I suppose if one of them had to keep me covered, I'd rather it was Jared than Paul. Paul was a little too hot headed for my taste.

"Jeez, Jared, I'm only human. You can quit pointing that damn rifle at my head." I heard a feral growl from outside, and the four guys in the shop grimaced in disgust.

"As long as I got you covered, Blanca out there will think twice about coming through that door. Sorry, Edward, but if she pulls any shit, you're toast, man."

"Fine. Where's Sam? Is he back yet? And what the fuck is up with Jacob? He totaled our car on the way over here. Don't freak, but we called for a ride. There's gonna be a couple of cars pulling up out front pretty soon, so don't start anything. Alright?" Jared just nodded, but the muzzle of the rifle never wavered a millimeter.

"Yeah, I'm back," Sam said, stepping out of his office. C'mon inside, Edward. We need to talk."

I walked back to Sam's office and walked inside. At least I didn't have the rifle pointed at my head anymore, if that was any kind of consolation. Sam could phase and bite me in half just as easily as Jared could shoot me, if he wanted me dead. Hell, he could probably do it with his bare hands without phasing, but then I wasn't here for a fight.

"So what the fuck's up with Jacob, Sam?" I asked as I sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

Sam held up a bottle of whiskey and raised an eyebrow in question. I nodded, and he set a glass in front of me and poured.

"Why didn't you tell us about Katy and Michaela, Edward? That story about them driving off the bridge into the sound is a bunch of horseshit. Jacob thinks your new girlfriend out there finally had enough and whacked her to get her out of the way. He figures Michaela was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was already pissed off about the wolf thing. And then Katy suddenly disappears after she heard us talking. Did the Moreno's decide to shut her up because she knew too much?"

"No, that's not how it happened, Sam." I said picking up my drink. I sipped the cheap whiskey while I looked Sam in the eye.

"Then why don't you tell me how it happened."

"Katy isn't dead, Sam. But she can't come home and she can't go to La Push without breaking the treaty now." I saw him stiffen in his seat and he knew what I meant.

"How? I know she didn't want that. What happened?"

"Katy followed us to Seattle. She came gunning for Bella after she heard us talking. She figured if she could kill her, it would break the mating bond. She talked Michaela into driving her, but they ended up on Fu turf instead of the Moreno's club."

"Aw shit! Of all the dumb luck!"

"Yeah, one of the Fu lieutenants thought it would be funny to turn her instead of killing her, after he figured out what she was there for."

"How did he figure out why she was there, Edward?"

"We think they tortured Michaela to death in front of her to make her answer their questions. Then they set up an ambush to try and trap us. We got the bastards that killed Michaela, but the boss that turned Katy got away."

"Alright, so where is Katy now? Do the Fu's still have her?"

"No, they gave her back to us after she was going through the change. They said it was up to us if she lived or died. I wouldn't let them kill her, so we sent her to a safe house in Alaska."

"You should have let them kill her, instead of becoming one of them."

"I couldn't do that, Sam. It was my fault she ever got involved in any of this. I didn't want her to have to die because of my mistake."

"She's already dead, Edward. Her body just doesn't know it."

"That's your opinion, Sam. So what about Jacob? He almost broke the treaty today. If we wanted to push it, we could argue that he already did, but we don't want that."

"I'll tell Jacob what you told me, but I don't know if he'll believe it. I ordered him to go back to La Push and made him stay on the reservation, but he's getting stronger. Pretty soon, he's gonna learn how to break the link, and I won't be able to give him orders anymore. He has Alpha blood in his veins too. He'll be stronger than me when he's mature. Quil and Embry will probably link with him and form a new pack when they phase."

"I saw them in the shop. I thought you were trying to keep them away from the catalyst, so they wouldn't phase."

Sam barked a bitter laugh. "Not much chance of that anymore. You've got so many leeches running through the forest around here; even some of the younger boys are showing signs of phasing. It's only a matter of time for most of them now. If they all join up with Jacob, and you're still here, I can't say what he might do. I'll try and talk sense to him, but he's still new and volatile."

"Yeah, I saw that out on the road. What, he thought was gonna take three vampires by himself? He was gonna violate the damn treaty."

"Jacob doesn't give a shit about the treaty. He wants a war. He was already pissed off about you and Bella, and now he thinks she killed Katy and Michaela, too. I'll talk to him, but you might want to think about clearing out of here sooner than later. Alice and Carlisle both left. Why are you still here?"

"Bella and I wanted to at least finish this year of high school here before we leave. We wanted to stay longer if we could. Somebody has to act normal so there aren't so many questions. People would talk if we all just pulled up stakes and left. I went out with Katy for more than a year. If I left, people would think I was responsible."

"Well, you are."

"I didn't bite her, Sam."

"I don't know how long I can keep Jacob bottled up on the rez. It'll be harder if I limit his range. You might not have that long, Edward."

"Well, we'll take as much time as we can. I'd appreciate some warning if you think Jacob is coming for us. I don't want to hurt him. I'm still hoping he'll calm down and come to his senses."

"Yeah, says the guy runnin' with a coven of leeches. How long 'til they bite you?"

"That's my affair, Sam. Now, I came here to do business. You got my stuff?"

"Yeah, I got the goods, you got the cash?"

"Bella's got the cash, out front. You want I should call her in, or do you want to go outside and take a look?"

"Let's go outside. It took a week to get the stink cleared out of here the last time she was here."

I put down the empty glass on the desk and got up. Sam followed me out into the shop.

"Paul, give Edward back his piece. Quil, Embry, you guys load up the shit."

Paul handed me back my pistol. I checked it and put it back in the holster in my left armpit. Quil pressed the button to open the roll up door, and then helped Embry start to move the packages wrapped in duct tape and cardboard. Sam didn't need to give an order for Paul and Jared to keep me covered with their assault rifles.

Bella was waiting out front next to the door. Connie and Maurice were there with their cars to pick us up. Diego was out of sight, but I was sure he was positioned to give us cover fire if this went badly. I'd never know it if it did, because I'd be the first to go down.

Sam walked out of the shop beside me, and Bella opened the case so he could see the cash. He didn't bother to count it. He just nodded.

"Ok, load'em up."

Connie opened the trunk of her car, and Quil and Embry started stacking the packages inside. I kept count while they moved the merchandise. They closed the trunk when they were done, and then Bella handed the case to Sam.

"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Edward. Can't say I enjoy your taste in friends, but to each their own. Remember what I told you about Jacob."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. I'm gonna need to make another buy next week. Can you handle the volume?"

Sam nodded. "No problem. You keep bringing me cash, and I've got you covered." He walked back inside the shop, and the door rolled back down closed.

We loaded up in the cars to get the hell out of there after Sam walked back inside. Diego took shotgun next to Connie, and Bella and I snuggled in the backseat for the ride back to Forks. We'd divvy up the shit when we got back to the house. We'd keep some for ourselves, and I had local clients to cover, but the bulk would go to the club is Seattle. I was sure some would make it to the other families and their clubs. Very little would make it to the streets.

I was ready to relax. I'd had enough excitement this weekend, and just wanted to take it easy. I was ready for a break from the drama. I just wanted to get back to acting normal again, but I knew that wasn't going to happen when we pulled into the driveway at home.

There was a battered Chevy pickup parked in the driveway that had once been blue. I recognized the truck at once, and wondered why Leah Clearwater was coming to see me.

**Author's Note:**

**Caporegime (Crew boss / Captain / Capo / Lieutenant): **A Caporegime is appointed by the Don, and is in charge of his own borgata (regime, or crew), which is made up of a Capodecine and soldiers. Each Capo reports directly to the Underboss or Advisor for permission to do different things. When someone is needed to be "taken care of" the capo's are usually asked to carry out the order. They are the head of "day-to-day" operations of their own crews. The capo heads a crew of any given number of soldiers.

**Capo – (Italian) **head, chief, leader, boss. A Captain in the family.


End file.
